How Many People Are Named Muriel?
An estimated 8,597 people in the United States have the first name Muriel. It is predominantly female (98.6%). The average bearer is 69 years old, and Muriel peaked in popularity in 1922 with 2,407 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Muriel 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 Muriel paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Muriel is overwhelmingly female, 762 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 69, Muriel is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1967.
- Muriel has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
8,597
About 1 in 39,869 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
98.6% confidence
Average Age
69
years old
Peak Year
1922
2,407 births
Total Registered
55,614
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Muriel
Muriel is predominantly female (98.6%), though 762 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Muriel as a male name
Ranked #4,341 in 1966
5 male births in 1966
Peak: 1926 (37 births)
Muriel as a female name
Ranked #3,198 in 2024
50 female births in 2024
Peak: 1922 (2,392 births)
Muriel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Muriel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 20,749 babies were registered. Muriel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Muriel by Decade
How has Muriel 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 248 | 0 | 248 | |
| 1890s | 1,062 | 0 | 1,062 | |
| 1900s | 2,274 | 17 | 2,257 | |
| 1910s | 11,810 | 109 | 11,701 | |
| 1920s | 20,749 | 268 | 20,481 | |
| 1930s | 8,833 | 177 | 8,656 | |
| 1940s | 4,789 | 123 | 4,666 | |
| 1950s | 2,627 | 56 | 2,571 | |
| 1960s | 1,277 | 12 | 1,265 | |
| 1970s | 498 | 0 | 498 | |
| 1980s | 433 | 0 | 433 | |
| 1990s | 360 | 0 | 360 | |
| 2000s | 298 | 0 | 298 | |
| 2010s | 218 | 0 | 218 | |
| 2020s | 138 | 0 | 138 | |
Muriel by State
Birth registrations for Muriel span all 46 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey. The lowest are in Arizona, Utah, Montana. On average, about 1,034 Muriels were registered per state.
Muriel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Muriel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Muriel
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Muriel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Muriel?
We estimate approximately 8,597 people named Muriel 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 39,869 Americans share this first name.
Is Muriel a common name?
Muriel is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 55,614 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Muriel most popular?
Muriel reached peak popularity in 1922, when 2,407 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Muriel is approximately 69 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Muriel a female name?
Muriel is predominantly female. 98.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Muriel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Muriel Smith, Muriel Johnson, Muriel 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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