Merle**
#533 most common boys' name of all time · #1,171 across all names · 68% male / 32% female · used 1880–2025 · genuinely unisex
Rank among boys
#533
Rank overall
#1,171 of 105,966
First appeared
1880 or earlier
Years on the list
146 of 146
All-time
45,389
Since 2016
261
Peak year
1921 #173
Best rank
#170 1918
Girls
Boys
peak 1,275/yr
Merle is in the records from the very first year available, so it was almost certainly in use before 1880 — the data simply doesn't go back further.
Year by year
| Year | Girls | Boys | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 33 | 38 | #3,451 |
| 2024 | — | 22 | 22 | #4,572 |
| 2023 | — | 40 | 40 | #3,056 |
| 2022 | — | 27 | 27 | #3,995 |
| 2021 | — | 22 | 22 | #4,495 |
| 2020 | — | 33 | 33 | #3,345 |
| 2019 | — | 22 | 22 | #4,480 |
| 2018 | — | 23 | 23 | #4,356 |
| 2017 | — | 20 | 20 | #4,746 |
| 2016 | — | 14 | 14 | #6,053 |
| 2015 | — | 21 | 21 | #4,546 |
| 2014 | — | 15 | 15 | #5,734 |
| 2013 | — | 16 | 16 | #5,405 |
| 2012 | — | 9 | 9 | #8,164 |
| 2011 | — | 18 | 18 | #4,983 |
| 2010 | — | 22 | 22 | #4,366 |
| 2009 | — | 22 | 22 | #4,430 |
| 2008 | — | 19 | 19 | #4,902 |
| 2007 | — | 17 | 17 | #5,212 |
| 2006 | — | 26 | 26 | #3,782 |
| 2005 | — | 18 | 18 | #4,632 |
| 2004 | 5 | 21 | 26 | #4,131 |
| 2003 | 5 | 22 | 27 | #3,840 |
| 2002 | — | 13 | 13 | #5,397 |
| 2001 | — | 30 | 30 | #2,988 |
| 2000 | — | 26 | 26 | #3,221 |
| 1999 | — | 23 | 23 | #3,376 |
| 1998 | — | 20 | 20 | #3,599 |
| 1997 | — | 28 | 28 | #2,750 |
| 1996 | — | 28 | 28 | #2,680 |
| 1995 | 6 | 35 | 41 | #2,253 |
| 1994 | — | 26 | 26 | #2,766 |
| 1993 | 6 | 34 | 40 | #2,259 |
| 1992 | 6 | 33 | 39 | #2,253 |
| 1991 | 5 | 32 | 37 | #2,231 |
| 1990 | — | 33 | 33 | #2,171 |
| 1989 | 13 | 28 | 41 | #2,359 |
| 1988 | — | 48 | 48 | #1,526 |
| 1987 | 6 | 43 | 49 | #1,612 |
| 1986 | 6 | 35 | 41 | #1,761 |
| 1985 | — | 49 | 49 | #1,391 |
| 1984 | 6 | 51 | 57 | #1,294 |
| 1983 | — | 65 | 65 | #1,107 |
| 1982 | 8 | 57 | 65 | #1,230 |
| 1981 | 13 | 67 | 80 | #1,113 |
| 1980 | 5 | 59 | 64 | #1,187 |
| 1979 | 7 | 80 | 87 | #991 |
| 1978 | 11 | 60 | 71 | #1,134 |
| 1977 | — | 80 | 80 | #954 |
| 1976 | 5 | 65 | 70 | #1,030 |
| 1975 | 8 | 73 | 81 | #961 |
| 1974 | 9 | 79 | 88 | #914 |
| 1973 | 13 | 93 | 106 | #825 |
| 1972 | 13 | 111 | 124 | #752 |
| 1971 | 10 | 157 | 167 | #656 |
| 1970 | 18 | 131 | 149 | #717 |
| 1969 | 17 | 111 | 128 | #742 |
| 1968 | 21 | 135 | 156 | #649 |
| 1967 | 19 | 92 | 111 | #763 |
| 1966 | 24 | 121 | 145 | #672 |
| 1965 | 24 | 159 | 183 | #605 |
| 1964 | 38 | 166 | 204 | #608 |
| 1963 | 46 | 187 | 233 | #578 |
| 1962 | 53 | 180 | 233 | #582 |
| 1961 | 59 | 176 | 235 | #595 |
| 1960 | 62 | 176 | 238 | #587 |
| 1959 | 75 | 227 | 302 | #523 |
| 1958 | 95 | 232 | 327 | #506 |
| 1957 | 88 | 256 | 344 | #488 |
| 1956 | 107 | 292 | 399 | #439 |
| 1955 | 115 | 289 | 404 | #431 |
| 1954 | 137 | 307 | 444 | #409 |
| 1953 | 123 | 325 | 448 | #388 |
| 1952 | 134 | 340 | 474 | #366 |
| 1951 | 136 | 368 | 504 | #360 |
| 1950 | 141 | 395 | 536 | #339 |
| 1949 | 153 | 354 | 507 | #357 |
| 1948 | 179 | 432 | 611 | #321 |
| 1947 | 203 | 392 | 595 | #344 |
| 1946 | 206 | 406 | 612 | #319 |
| 1945 | 205 | 373 | 578 | #307 |
| 1944 | 239 | 391 | 630 | #305 |
| 1943 | 232 | 448 | 680 | #290 |
| 1942 | 275 | 442 | 717 | #288 |
| 1941 | 225 | 482 | 707 | #254 |
| 1940 | 237 | 467 | 704 | #254 |
| 1939 | 275 | 529 | 804 | #225 |
| 1938 | 264 | 525 | 789 | #228 |
| 1937 | 302 | 519 | 821 | #228 |
| 1936 | 341 | 568 | 909 | #209 |
| 1935 | 270 | 521 | 791 | #226 |
| 1934 | 212 | 599 | 811 | #207 |
| 1933 | 183 | 573 | 756 | #204 |
| 1932 | 200 | 593 | 793 | #210 |
| 1931 | 213 | 662 | 875 | #198 |
| 1930 | 237 | 711 | 948 | #196 |
| 1929 | 224 | 731 | 955 | #188 |
| 1928 | 293 | 764 | 1,057 | #186 |
| 1927 | 311 | 808 | 1,119 | #178 |
| 1926 | 340 | 787 | 1,127 | #180 |
| 1925 | 404 | 836 | 1,240 | #175 |
| 1924 | 383 | 782 | 1,165 | #184 |
| 1923 | 409 | 775 | 1,184 | #180 |
| 1922 | 394 | 835 | 1,229 | #172 |
| 1921 | 442 | 833 | 1,275 | #173 |
| 1920 | 403 | 819 | 1,222 | #171 |
| 1919 | 370 | 721 | 1,091 | #182 |
| 1918 | 375 | 795 | 1,170 | #170 |
| 1917 | 360 | 701 | 1,061 | #178 |
| 1916 | 373 | 604 | 977 | #190 |
| 1915 | 353 | 595 | 948 | #186 |
| 1914 | 247 | 415 | 662 | #201 |
| 1913 | 232 | 331 | 563 | #202 |
| 1912 | 221 | 268 | 489 | #206 |
| 1911 | 151 | 115 | 266 | #236 |
| 1910 | 138 | 100 | 238 | #235 |
| 1909 | 120 | 76 | 196 | #255 |
| 1908 | 120 | 76 | 196 | #244 |
| 1907 | 112 | 82 | 194 | #224 |
| 1906 | 84 | 72 | 156 | #229 |
| 1905 | 110 | 59 | 169 | #254 |
| 1904 | 92 | 53 | 145 | #260 |
| 1903 | 112 | 69 | 181 | #216 |
| 1902 | 112 | 58 | 170 | #242 |
| 1901 | 91 | 52 | 143 | #237 |
| 1900 | 113 | 54 | 167 | #281 |
| 1899 | 88 | 42 | 130 | #257 |
| 1898 | 77 | 49 | 126 | #252 |
| 1897 | 70 | 34 | 104 | #316 |
| 1896 | 86 | 44 | 130 | #277 |
| 1895 | 91 | 46 | 137 | #263 |
| 1894 | 70 | 38 | 108 | #285 |
| 1893 | 61 | 27 | 88 | #342 |
| 1892 | 60 | 38 | 98 | #299 |
| 1891 | 46 | 34 | 80 | #277 |
| 1890 | 68 | 26 | 94 | #345 |
| 1889 | 42 | 35 | 77 | #284 |
| 1888 | 25 | 15 | 40 | #507 |
| 1887 | 12 | 24 | 36 | #333 |
| 1886 | 14 | 22 | 36 | #369 |
| 1885 | 16 | 26 | 42 | #332 |
| 1884 | 16 | 19 | 35 | #416 |
| 1883 | 15 | 23 | 38 | #346 |
| 1882 | 11 | 13 | 24 | #515 |
| 1881 | 6 | 13 | 19 | #488 |
| 1880 | 6 | 17 | 23 | #425 |