Merlyn
- #11,932 for girls in 2025, 7 births
- #10,695 for boys in 2025, 6 births
- Given to boys 67.6% of the time
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 1931 · 128 births
- Debut · boys
- 5 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 3,410since 1908
Merlyn over time
girlsboys
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #11,932 | 7 | #10,695 | 6 |
| 2024 | #15,293 | 5 | — | |
| 2023 | #8,486 | 12 | — | |
| 2022 | #9,056 | 11 | #9,823 | 7 |
| 2021 | #9,562 | 10 | #10,799 | 6 |
| 2020 | #8,406 | 12 | #12,022 | 5 |
| 2019 | #9,736 | 10 | #10,803 | 6 |
| 2018 | #10,545 | 9 | — | |
| 2017 | #10,689 | 9 | #10,775 | 6 |
| 2016 | #11,781 | 8 | #10,744 | 6 |
| 2015 | #8,931 | 12 | — | |
| 2014 | #10,955 | 9 | #12,108 | 5 |
| 2013 | #16,547 | 5 | #10,728 | 6 |
| 2012 | #12,199 | 8 | #12,274 | 5 |
| 2011 | #7,783 | 15 | — | |
| 2010 | #7,880 | 15 | — | |
| 2009 | #7,679 | 16 | #8,985 | 8 |
| 2008 | #5,955 | 23 | — | |
| 2007 | #7,092 | 18 | — | |
| 2006 | #7,868 | 15 | — | |
| 2005 | #7,138 | 16 | — | |
| 2004 | #7,077 | 16 | #8,927 | 7 |
| 2003 | #6,055 | 19 | — | |
| 2002 | #9,482 | 10 | — | |
| 2001 | #9,351 | 10 | — | |
| 2000 | #7,580 | 13 | #6,316 | 10 |
| 1999 | #8,805 | 10 | #6,530 | 9 |
| 1998 | #5,799 | 17 | — | |
| 1997 | #6,483 | 14 | #9,265 | 5 |
| 1996 | #11,807 | 6 | — | |
| 1995 | #7,041 | 12 | — | |
| 1994 | #6,319 | 14 | — | |
| 1993 | #6,264 | 14 | #7,638 | 6 |
| 1992 | #7,067 | 12 | — | |
| 1991 | #10,271 | 7 | #6,519 | 7 |
| 1990 | #10,193 | 7 | #8,117 | 5 |
| 1989 | #8,037 | 9 | — | |
| 1988 | #5,895 | 13 | #7,270 | 5 |
| 1987 | #11,325 | 5 | #6,089 | 6 |
| 1986 | #9,545 | 6 | — | |
| 1985 | #7,563 | 8 | — | |
| 1984 | #6,810 | 9 | — | |
| 1983 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | #7,409 | 8 | — | |
| 1980 | — | #3,430 | 12 | |
| 1979 | #9,010 | 6 | #4,403 | 8 |
| 1978 | — | #5,059 | 6 | |
| 1977 | #9,652 | 5 | #5,845 | 5 |
| 1976 | #9,284 | 5 | — | |
| 1975 | — | #4,797 | 6 | |
| 1974 | — | #3,837 | 8 | |
| 1973 | #7,435 | 6 | — | |
| 1972 | — | — | ||
| 1971 | #8,324 | 5 | #3,963 | 7 |
| 1970 | #7,070 | 6 | #3,521 | 8 |
| 1969 | — | #2,549 | 12 | |
| 1968 | #5,642 | 7 | #2,576 | 11 |
| 1967 | #6,804 | 5 | #3,559 | 6 |
| 1966 | #6,564 | 5 | #2,627 | 10 |
| 1965 | #4,831 | 8 | #3,244 | 7 |
| 1964 | #6,767 | 5 | #2,114 | 15 |
| 1963 | #4,896 | 8 | #2,044 | 16 |
| 1962 | #4,263 | 10 | #1,896 | 18 |
| 1961 | #5,309 | 7 | #1,997 | 17 |
| 1960 | #3,920 | 11 | #2,042 | 16 |
| 1959 | #3,827 | 11 | #1,620 | 24 |
| 1958 | #3,747 | 11 | #1,766 | 20 |
| 1957 | #2,823 | 17 | #1,673 | 23 |
| 1956 | #4,161 | 9 | #2,015 | 16 |
| 1955 | #2,725 | 17 | #1,458 | 28 |
| 1954 | #2,695 | 17 | #1,333 | 32 |
| 1953 | #2,921 | 14 | #1,331 | 32 |
| 1952 | #3,040 | 13 | #1,166 | 40 |
| 1951 | #2,694 | 15 | #1,083 | 44 |
| 1950 | #2,652 | 15 | #1,086 | 42 |
| 1949 | #2,069 | 22 | #1,163 | 37 |
| 1948 | #2,126 | 21 | #1,015 | 48 |
| 1947 | #2,045 | 23 | #1,176 | 38 |
| 1946 | #2,318 | 17 | #1,003 | 46 |
| 1945 | #1,743 | 23 | #830 | 57 |
| 1944 | #1,578 | 27 | #832 | 57 |
| 1943 | #1,703 | 25 | #781 | 70 |
| 1942 | #1,592 | 27 | #740 | 75 |
| 1941 | #1,569 | 25 | #683 | 80 |
| 1940 | #1,549 | 25 | #631 | 89 |
| 1939 | #1,378 | 29 | #660 | 81 |
| 1938 | #1,596 | 23 | #551 | 110 |
| 1937 | #1,355 | 29 | #567 | 103 |
| 1936 | #1,150 | 38 | #566 | 103 |
| 1935 | #1,182 | 36 | #563 | 105 |
| 1934 | #1,236 | 33 | #552 | 114 |
| 1933 | #1,244 | 33 | #557 | 105 |
| 1932 | #1,421 | 28 | #565 | 109 |
| 1931 | #1,459 | 26 | #507 | 128 |
| 1930 | #1,703 | 22 | #508 | 137 |
| 1929 | #1,555 | 25 | #633 | 93 |
| 1928 | #1,290 | 35 | #621 | 97 |
| 1927 | #1,233 | 40 | #579 | 114 |
| 1926 | #1,449 | 31 | #678 | 87 |
| 1925 | #1,210 | 41 | #730 | 79 |
| 1924 | #1,723 | 25 | #787 | 73 |
| 1923 | #1,305 | 36 | #765 | 74 |
| 1922 | #1,897 | 21 | #791 | 72 |
| 1921 | #1,723 | 25 | #931 | 57 |
| 1920 | #2,357 | 15 | #826 | 66 |
| 1919 | #3,005 | 10 | #938 | 51 |
| 1918 | #2,376 | 14 | #909 | 53 |
| 1917 | #2,879 | 10 | #864 | 54 |
| 1916 | #2,133 | 15 | #1,157 | 32 |
| 1915 | #2,143 | 14 | #1,015 | 39 |
| 1914 | #2,434 | 9 | #1,342 | 20 |
| 1913 | #2,540 | 7 | #1,256 | 17 |
| 1912 | #2,144 | 8 | #1,223 | 15 |
| 1911 | — | #1,740 | 5 | |
| 1910 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | — | #1,373 | 5 | |
| 1907 | — | — | ||
| 1906 | — | — | ||
| 1905 | — | — | ||
| 1904 | — | — | ||
| 1903 | — | — | ||
| 1902 | — | — | ||
| 1901 | — | — | ||
| 1900 | — | — | ||
| 1899 | — | — | ||
| 1898 | — | — | ||
| 1897 | — | — | ||
| 1896 | — | — | ||
| 1895 | — | — | ||
| 1894 | — | — | ||
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | — | — | ||
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | — | — | ||
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | — | — | ||
| 1887 | — | — | ||
| 1886 | — | — | ||
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1908
The first year at least five boys were named Merlyn! It came in at #1,373, and was given to 5 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1908–1911, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.
Where Merlyn is popular in 2025
No state had 5 or more boys named Merlyn in 2025, so the SSA doesn't publish it for any state.
See more about Merlyn
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 1,327 spots since 2020 (#12,022 → #10,695)
- Biggest jump: 293 spots in 1917
- Biggest drop: 173 spots in 1946
Rise & fade · boys
23 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1908
- Peaked 1931 at #507 (128 births)
- Births halved by 1944, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 29 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 29 yrs · run 1917–1945
Share of babies · boys
1 in 8,010
- Highest: 1 in 8,010 boys born in 1930 were named Merlyn (0.01%)
- Latest: 1 in 284,679 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
- Its best rank, #507 in 1931, was only 1 in 8,122 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1930s
- 32.1% of all boys named Merlyn (1,095) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2014
- Mostly boys until 2013, mostly girls since
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 | #1,373 (1908) | #1,373 |
| 1910s | 286 | #864 (1917) | #1,160 |
| 1920s | 812 | #579 (1927) | #734 |
| 1930s | 1,095 | #507 (1931) | #560 |
| 1940s | 597 | #631 (1940) | #885 |
| 1950s | 301 | #1,083 (1951) | #1,453 |
| 1960s | 128 | #1,896 (1962) | #2,465 |
| 1970s | 48 | #3,521 (1970) | #4,489 |
| 1980s | 23 | #3,430 (1980) | #5,596 |
| 1990s | 32 | #6,519 (1991) | #7,614 |
| 2000s | 25 | #6,316 (2000) | #8,076 |
| 2010s | 34 | #10,728 (2013) | #11,239 |
| 2020s | 24 | #9,823 (2022) | #10,835 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Want to check a specific year?
See where Merlyn ranked and which names it was up against. Click a point on the chart, or pick a year: