Merill as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Merill

What is the meaning of the name Merill ?

The baby name Merill is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɛrəl/ (MER-əl).

Merill is English in Origin.

Merill is a modern, streamlined variant of Merrill, an English surname that became a given name. The surname traces to the medieval personal name Meriel/Merial, the Anglo-Norman form of the Celtic Muriel, ultimately from Old Irish/Scottish Gaelic elements muir “sea” + geal “bright, fair,” giving the meaning “sea-bright” or “shining sea.” This luminous maritime sense underlies the broader family of names linked to Muriel across Britain and Brittany.

As a first name, Merill appears in English-speaking records from the 19th century and is used for both genders, though more commonly masculine in the United States. Usage reflects the broader surname-to-given-name trend, with Merrill peaking in the early–mid 20th century; the one‑L Merill remains the rarer spelling. Variants and cousins include Merrill, Merrell, Meril; feminine-leaning forms Meryl, Meriel, Muriel, and Mariel. Possible nicknames are Mer, Mel, and Rill.

⚙ Merill is about as rare as a name gets. In all, it appears just 15 times, across 7 countries.