Girl · #3,241 in 2026

Muriel

Muriel MURE-ee-əl is a feminine given name in the English language.

Current Rank
#3,241
Peak Rank
#112 (1922)
Total Babies
55K
5-Yr Trend
+87%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1922
Peak Year
#112
Peak Rank
55K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Muriel

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

Muriel MURE-ee-əl is a feminine given name in the English language.

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

The Story of Muriel

Muriel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1922, when 2,392 Muriels were born — ranking #112 that year. As of 2026, Muriel ranks #3,241 for baby girls with 49 births, rising sharply (+87% over the past five years). In total, more than 55K Muriels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Muriel

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Muriel Anderson (born 1960), American guitarist
  • Muriel Angelus (1912–2004), British actress
  • Muriel Bamblett , advocate for Aboriginal child welfare in Victoria and Australia
  • Muriel Barbery (born 1969), Moroccan-born French novelist
  • Muriel Beaumont (1881–1957), British actress
  • Muriel Bell (1898–1974), New Zealand nutritionist and researcher
  • Muriel Bowser (born 1972), mayor of the District of Columbia
  • Muriel Box (1905–1991), British screenwriter and film director

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

Names that sound like Muriel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Muriel 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 Muriel

What does the name Muriel mean?
Muriel MURE-ee-əl is a feminine given name in the English language.
How popular is Muriel in 2026?
In 2026, Muriel ranks #3,241 among girls' names in the U.S., with 49 babies given the name that year.
When was Muriel most popular?
Muriel reached its peak popularity in 1922, ranking #112 that year with 2,392 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Muriel most popular?
Muriel has historically been most popular in Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Muriel.
Is Muriel a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Muriel is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Muriel?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Muriel include Mable, Bridget, Gwendolyn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Muriel

Muriel is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 55K births in the dataset. Muriel's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #112. Use the chart and map above to compare Muriel'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.