Murl

Last seen for girls in 1958 at #5,408 · Last seen for boys in 1983 at #6,238
Given to boys 75.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1898 · 9 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,941
since 1886

Murl over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201927peak #905, 1894peak #744, 1898girlsboys
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025——
2024——
2023——
2022——
2021——
2020——
2019——
2018——
2017——
2016——
2015——
2014——
2013——
2012——
2011——
2010——
2009——
2008——
2007——
2006——
2005——
2004——
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2002——
2001——
2000——
1999——
1998——
1997——
1996——
1995——
1994——
1993——
1992——
1991——
1990——
1989——
1988——
1987——
1986——
1985——
1984——
1983—#6,2385
1982——
1981——
1980—#5,5256
1979——
1978—#5,7725
1977—#5,1236
1976——
1975——
1974—#4,1907
1973—#4,5056
1972——
1971—#4,9075
1970—#4,7245
1969—#3,3148
1968—#3,1078
1967—#3,2317
1966——
1965—#3,2447
1964—#2,31013
1963—#1,95717
1962—#3,0418
1961—#2,24214
1960—#2,42312
1959—#2,20014
1958#5,4086#1,83819
1957—#1,79120
1956—#2,01516
1955—#2,21913
1954—#1,70620
1953—#1,90017
1952#5,5635#1,58223
1951—#2,13513
1950—#1,31330
1949—#1,94115
1948—#1,75818
1947#4,0078#1,17638
1946#3,03411#1,64219
1945—#1,10335
1944—#1,32825
1943—#1,36826
1942#4,1246#1,22832
1941#3,9546#1,25428
1940#4,3495#1,22730
1939#3,7826#1,07036
1938#2,57911#1,09535
1937#3,8006#1,28827
1936#2,68910#1,11834
1935#2,00616#1,24729
1934#3,1598#1,07737
1933#3,7536#1,12434
1932#2,49012#1,02542
1931#2,9729#1,05041
1930#1,60724#99047
1929#1,82520#1,21433
1928#1,89720#1,01946
1927#1,61926#89258
1926#1,99719#96350
1925#2,28316#93352
1924#2,06219#84965
1923#2,26416#1,08743
1922#1,89721#94155
1921#2,37815#93157
1920#1,51129#96052
1919#2,51513#81165
1918#1,45129#90953
1917#1,84719#1,00342
1916#1,63022#80359
1915#1,47524#86850
1914#1,60317#93335
1913#1,40517#96926
1912#1,71911#1,00021
1911#2,4635#1,1909
1910#1,6349#1,5895
1909#1,7637#95110
1908#1,4399#1,0218
1907#1,3849#1,3455
1906#1,5537#1,1116
1905#1,4208#8369
1904#1,6596#1,0646
1903#1,02712#1,1305
1902—#1,1375
1901—#7798
1900—#1,1626
1899—#1,0515
1898—#7449
1897#1,2637#1,0575
1896#1,4166—
1895#1,4266—
1894#90512#8577
1893—#8367
1892——
1891#1,3325#7667
1890#1,3385—
1889——
1888——
1887——
1886—#9595
1885#1,0475—
1884——
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1886

The first year at least five boys were named Murl! It came in at #959, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1886–1890, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Murl is popular in 1927

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMNIllinois: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedILWisconsin: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedWIMichigan: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMINew York: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedIAIndiana: #342 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 5,190 boysINOhio: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedCTCalifornia: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedCAUtah: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNEMissouri: #340 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 4,157 boysMOKentucky: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedKSArkansas: #392 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 3,606 boysARTennessee: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #278 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 2,297 boysOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedALGeorgia: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedHITexas: #900 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 11,385 boysTXFlorida: fewer than 5 boys named Murl, so not publishedFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Oklahoma#278 · 1 in 2,297
  2. Missouri#340 · 1 in 4,157
  3. Indiana#342 · 1 in 5,190
  4. Arkansas#392 · 1 in 3,606
  5. Texas#900 · 1 in 11,385

Best ever in a state: #246 in Oklahoma, 1924.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Oklahoma#278101 in 2,297
Missouri#34071 in 4,157
Indiana#34251 in 5,190
Arkansas#39251 in 3,606
Texas#90051 in 11,385
Alabama———
Alaska———
Arizona———
California———
Colorado———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
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Massachusetts———
Michigan———
Minnesota———
Mississippi———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
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North Carolina———
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Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Murl
Momentum · boys
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 1983
  • Biggest jump: 383 spots in 1901 (#1,162 → #779)
  • Biggest drop: 638 spots in 1910 (#951 → #1,589)
Rise & fade · boys
12 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1886
  • Peaked 1898 at #744 (9 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 68 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 23 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 23 yrs · run 1912–1916
Share of babies · boys
1 in 13,308
  • Highest: 1 in 13,308 boys born in 1901 were named Murl (0.01%)
  • Latest: 1 in 358,513 boys born in 1983 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #744 in 1898, was only 1 in 13,632 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 26.3% of all boys named Murl (511) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1911
  • Mostly girls until 1910, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s5#959 (1886)#959
1890s40#744 (1898)#885
1900s68#779 (1901)#1,054
1910s365#803 (1916)#1,008
1920s511#849 (1924)#979
1930s362#990 (1930)#1,108
1940s266#1,103 (1945)#1,403
1950s185#1,313 (1950)#1,870
1960s94#1,957 (1963)#2,763
1970s34#4,190 (1974)#4,870
1980s11#5,525 (1980)#5,882

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.

Murl in 1927

girls
#1,619
26 births · 1 in 45,863 girls
boys
#892
58 births · 1 in 19,430 boys

Top girls' names in 1927

  1. #1Mary70,642
  2. #2Dorothy35,993
  3. #3Betty35,424
  4. #4Helen25,316
  5. #5Margaret21,964
  6. #6Ruth19,412
  7. #7Doris16,512
  8. #8Virginia15,734
  9. #9Shirley13,314
  10. #10Barbara13,161
  11. #1,619Murl26

Top boys' names in 1927

  1. #1Robert61,674
  2. #2John55,949
  3. #3James53,674
  4. #4William51,476
  5. #5Charles31,941
  6. #6Richard26,768
  7. #7George25,949
  8. #8Donald23,834
  9. #9Joseph23,503
  10. #10Edward19,115
  11. #892Murl58
More about 1927

girls

1,192,431 girls got a published name in 1927; 1 in 45,863 of them was named Murl, which outranked 71.1% of the 5,602 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Murl
  1. #1,587Virgia27
  2. #1,587Virgil27
  3. #1,587Wyona27
  4. #1,619Murl26
  5. #1,619Aggie26
  6. #1,619Albertina26
  7. #1,619Amada26
  8. #1,669Adah25
  9. #1,669Aiko25
  10. #1,669Alison25

Tied with 49 names at #1,619; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,708Charmaine#3,564 → #856
  2. ↑ 1,519Kazuko#2,474 → #955
  3. ↑ 1,152Valencia#2,076 → #924
  4. ↑ 551Cherie#1,414 → #863
  5. ↑ 452Lita#1,148 → #696
Fallers
  1. ↓ 349Janell#748 → #1,097
  2. ↓ 330Sabina#931 → #1,261
  3. ↓ 319Clarine#942 → #1,261
  4. ↓ 298Shirlie#980 → #1,278
  5. ↓ 291Delilah#836 → #1,127

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,126,915 boys got a published name in 1927; 1 in 19,430 of them was named Murl, which outranked 81.4% of the 4,802 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Murl
  1. #884Murry59
  2. #884Norton59
  3. #884Norwood59
  4. #892Murl58
  5. #892Clearence58
  6. #892Ezekiel58
  7. #892Llewellyn58
  8. #898Arley57
  9. #898Duncan57
  10. #898Eloy57

Tied with 5 names at #892; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,863Lindbergh#2,436 → #573
  2. ↑ 966Lindy#1,353 → #387
  3. ↑ 601Sonny#1,565 → #964
  4. ↑ 467Akira#1,404 → #937
  5. ↑ 442Maria#1,432 → #990
Fallers
  1. ↓ 684Minoru#963 → #1,647
  2. ↓ 611Reno#825 → #1,436
  3. ↓ 406Hurley#916 → #1,322
  4. ↓ 356Adelbert#842 → #1,198
  5. ↓ 330Gardner#963 → #1,293

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1927 →