Merlyn
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- Say it
- MER-lin
- Origin
- Welsh
- US rank, 2025
- #11,928 for girls
Merlyn is a name of Welsh origin, meaning “sea fortress”. In 2025 it ranked 11,928th for girls in the US (7 babies).
What does Merlyn mean?
Welsh: variant of Merlin, from Welsh Myrddin
“sea fortress”
Merlin is the wizard of Arthurian legend, adviser to King Arthur.
Is Merlyn a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Merlyn has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 7 girls and 6 boys in the US.
How popular is Merlyn in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #11,928among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 230,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 7 girls in the US were named Merlyn, making it the 11,928th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8,401st. Its busiest year was 1925, with 41 girls. It first appears in the records in 1912. 6 boys were also named Merlyn in 2025 (10,690th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Merlyn in the US since 1880 were born between 1931 and 1992, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1959, 31% of the babies named Merlyn in the US were girls.
Merlyn in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #11,928 |
| 2024 | 5 | #15,288 |
| 2023 | 12 | #8,481 |
| 2022 | 11 | #9,050 |
| 2021 | 10 | #9,557 |
| 2020 | 12 | #8,401 |
| 2019 | 10 | #9,730 |
| 2018 | 9 | #10,540 |
| 2017 | 9 | #10,685 |
| 2016 | 8 | #11,776 |
| 2015 | 12 | #8,926 |
| 2014 | 9 | #10,949 |
| 2013 | 5 | #16,542 |
| 2012 | 8 | #12,193 |
| 2011 | 15 | #7,779 |
| 2010 | 15 | #7,877 |
| 2009 | 16 | #7,676 |
| 2008 | 23 | #5,952 |
| 2007 | 18 | #7,088 |
| 2006 | 15 | #7,865 |
| 2005 | 16 | #7,133 |
| 2004 | 16 | #7,072 |
| 2003 | 19 | #6,050 |
| 2002 | 10 | #9,476 |
| 2001 | 10 | #9,344 |
| 2000 | 13 | #7,574 |
| 1999 | 10 | #8,798 |
| 1998 | 17 | #5,794 |
| 1997 | 14 | #6,478 |
| 1996 | 6 | #11,801 |
| 1995 | 12 | #7,036 |
| 1994 | 14 | #6,313 |
| 1993 | 14 | #6,257 |
| 1992 | 12 | #7,060 |
| 1991 | 7 | #10,263 |
| 1990 | 7 | #10,187 |
| 1989 | 9 | #8,031 |
| 1988 | 13 | #5,890 |
| 1987 | 5 | #11,320 |
| 1986 | 6 | #9,540 |
| 1985 | 8 | #7,560 |
| 1984 | 9 | #6,808 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 8 | #7,407 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 6 | #9,008 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,433 |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 5 | #8,322 |
| 1970 | 6 | #7,069 |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 7 | #5,641 |
| 1967 | 5 | #6,803 |
| 1966 | 5 | #6,563 |
| 1965 | 8 | #4,830 |
| 1964 | 5 | #6,766 |
| 1963 | 8 | #4,895 |
| 1962 | 10 | #4,262 |
| 1961 | 7 | #5,308 |
| 1960 | 11 | #3,919 |
| 1959 | 11 | #3,826 |
| 1958 | 11 | #3,746 |
| 1957 | 17 | #2,822 |
| 1956 | 9 | #4,160 |
| 1955 | 17 | #2,724 |
| 1954 | 17 | #2,694 |
| 1953 | 14 | #2,920 |
| 1952 | 13 | #3,039 |
| 1951 | 15 | #2,693 |
| 1950 | 15 | #2,651 |
| 1949 | 22 | #2,068 |
| 1948 | 21 | #2,125 |
| 1947 | 23 | #2,044 |
| 1946 | 17 | #2,317 |
| 1945 | 23 | #1,742 |
| 1944 | 27 | #1,577 |
| 1943 | 25 | #1,702 |
| 1942 | 27 | #1,591 |
| 1941 | 25 | #1,569 |
| 1940 | 25 | #1,549 |
| 1939 | 29 | #1,378 |
| 1938 | 23 | #1,596 |
| 1937 | 29 | #1,355 |
| 1936 | 38 | #1,150 |
| 1935 | 36 | #1,182 |
| 1934 | 33 | #1,236 |
| 1933 | 33 | #1,244 |
| 1932 | 28 | #1,421 |
| 1931 | 26 | #1,458 |
| 1930 | 22 | #1,702 |
| 1929 | 25 | #1,554 |
| 1928 | 35 | #1,289 |
| 1927 | 40 | #1,233 |
| 1926 | 31 | #1,448 |
| 1925 | 41 | #1,210 |
| 1924 | 25 | #1,723 |
| 1923 | 36 | #1,305 |
| 1922 | 21 | #1,897 |
| 1921 | 25 | #1,723 |
| 1920 | 15 | #2,357 |
| 1919 | 10 | #3,003 |
| 1918 | 14 | #2,375 |
| 1917 | 10 | #2,878 |
| 1916 | 15 | #2,133 |
| 1915 | 14 | #2,142 |
| 1914 | 9 | #2,433 |
| 1913 | 7 | #2,538 |
| 1912 | 8 | #2,143 |
Names like Merlyn
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Evelyn Maxine Marilyn Gwendolyn Vivian Charlotte Madelyn Ruby Mary Mavis Helen Georgia
Names related to Merlyn
More Welsh names
Dylan Owen Winnie Maddox Morgan Idris Reese Bowen Griffin Rhys Gavin Reece Nia Seren Winifred Meredith
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Merlyn: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/merlyn, updated 20 October 2026.