How Many People Are Named Merlyn?
An estimated 1,858 people in the United States have the first name Merlyn. It is used for both genders, with 67.7% male. The average bearer is 60 years old, and Merlyn peaked in popularity in 1930 with 159 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Merlyn as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Merlyn paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Merlyn has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
1,858
About 1 in 184,475 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
67.7% confidence
Average Age
60
years old
Peak Year
1930
159 births
Total Registered
5,030
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Merlyn
Merlyn is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (67.7%) and females (32.3%). Out of 5,030 total births registered, 3,404 were male and 1,626 were female.
Merlyn as a male name
Ranked #10,493 in 2022
7 male births in 2022
Peak: 1930 (137 births)
Merlyn as a female name
Ranked #16,823 in 2024
5 female births in 2024
Peak: 1925 (41 births)
Merlyn: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Merlyn span from the 1900s to the 2020s, covering 13 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 1,392 babies were registered. Merlyn has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Merlyn by Decade
How has Merlyn tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Merlyn by State
Birth registrations for Merlyn span all 16 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin. The lowest are in Utah, New York, Louisiana. On average, about 115 Merlyns were registered per state.
Merlyn + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Merlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Merlyn
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Merlyn: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Merlyn?
We estimate approximately 1,858 people named Merlyn are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 184,475 Americans share this first name.
Is Merlyn a common name?
Merlyn is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 93.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 5,030 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Merlyn most popular?
Merlyn reached peak popularity in 1930, when 159 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Merlyn is approximately 60 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Merlyn a male name?
Merlyn is predominantly male. 67.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Merlyn Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Merlyn Smith, Merlyn Johnson, Merlyn Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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