Murrel
Channa striata, the striped snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, or snakehead murrel and generally referred simply as mudfish. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to some Pacific Islands. Reports from Madagascar and Hawaii are misidentifications of C. maculata.
Meaning & Origin of Murrel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Channa striata, the striped snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, or snakehead murrel and generally referred simply as mudfish. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to some Pacific Islands. Reports from Madagascar and Hawaii are misidentifications of C. maculata.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Murrel
As a girl name
American parents first put Murrel on the record books as a girl name in 1901, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1923, when 12 Murrels were born — ranking #2,732 that year. About 42% of every Murrel on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Murrel last appeared in the published SSA data in 1939, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 189 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Murrel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1898, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1922: 31 births, good for #1,308 nationwide. About 33% of every Murrel on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Murrel last appeared in the published SSA data in 1977, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 736 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Murrel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Murrel 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 Murrel
What does the name Murrel mean?
How popular is Murrel in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Murrel most popular?
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About the name Murrel
Murrel is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1898 and has accumulated 736 births in the dataset. Murrel's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #1,308. Use the chart and map above to compare Murrel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1922 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.