Girl · #9,828 in 2026

Merna

Name: Popularity of the name Merna in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Merna, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Merna may refer to the following people:Given nameMerna Barry, American entertainer Merna Kennedy (1908–1944), American actress Merna Mohsen, Egyptian footballer Merna Summers, Canadian short story writerSurnameGemma Merna, English actress

Current Rank

#9,828

Peak Rank

#795 (1930)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-25%

1895

First Year

2026

Last Year

1930

Peak Year

#795

Peak Rank

Total Count

105

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Merna

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Merna

Merna first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1895, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1930, when 79 Mernas were born — ranking #795 that year. As of 2026, Merna ranks #9,828 for baby girls with 6 births, falling sharply (-25%). In total, more than 2K Mernas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Merna

Phonetically similar names — useful when Merna 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 Merna

What does the name Merna mean?

How popular is Merna in 2026?

In 2026, Merna ranks #9,828 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Merna most popular?

Merna reached its peak popularity in 1930, ranking #795 that year with 79 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Merna most popular?

Merna has historically been most popular in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Merna.

Is Merna a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Merna is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Merna?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Merna include Asha, Janiah, Ainara. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Merna

Merna is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1895 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Merna's peak popularity came in 1930 when it ranked #795. Use the chart and map above to compare Merna's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.