Merlyn
Merlin is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a prophet and a magician, along with several other main roles.
Meaning & Origin of Merlyn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Merlin is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a prophet and a magician, along with several other main roles.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Merlyn
As a girl name
Merlyn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1912, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1925: 41 births, good for #1,210 nationwide. Merlyn last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Merlyn as a boy name dates back to 1908, when 5 babies received it. 1930 was its biggest year on record, with 137 newborns named Merlyn — #508 in the national rankings. About 32% of every Merlyn on record arrived during the 1930s, its defining decade. Merlyn last appeared in the published SSA data in 2022, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Merlyn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Merlyn is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Merlyn
What does the name Merlyn mean?
How popular is Merlyn in 2026?
When was Merlyn most popular?
In which U.S. states is Merlyn most popular?
Is Merlyn a unisex name?
What names go well with Merlyn?
About the name Merlyn
Merlyn is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1908 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Merlyn's peak popularity came in 1930 when it ranked #508. Use the chart and map above to compare Merlyn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1930 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.