The baby name Merle is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /mɜːrl/ (UK), /mɝl/ (US) — "MERL" (rhymes with "pearl").
Merle is French in Origin.
The baby name Merle is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /mɜːrl/ (UK), /mɝl/ (US) — "MERL" (rhymes with "pearl").
Merle is French in Origin.
Merle derives from French merle, “blackbird” (Turdus merula), brought into English as both a surname and a nature-inspired given name. The avian meaning aligns it with other bird names like Robin and Lark, evoking song and dusk. In French it remains a common surname; in Dutch the cognate given name is Merel.
As a given name, Merle has long been unisex. It rose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, peaking for boys in the 1910s–1930s. Actress Merle Oberon gave it feminine glamour, while country icons Merle Haggard and Merle Travis cemented its masculine profile. In contemporary Germany, it tends to be feminine. Variants and related forms include Merl, Merla, Merlee, and Dutch Merel; lookalike Meryl is more often tied to Muriel, but its popularity has sometimes influenced Merle.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Girls | 2025 | #1 | — | 411 |
| FJ | Girls | 0 | #9 | 1 | 583 |
| EE | 0 | #29 | 9 | 1,051 | |
| NA | 0 | #32 | 2 | 2,537 | |
| EE | Girls | 0 | #54 | 96 | 1,888 |
| JP | 0 | #77 | 1 | 4,057 | |
| JM | 0 | #88 | 6 | 3,714 | |
| PH | 0 | #108 | 3 | 5,607 | |
| BN | Girls | 0 | #114 | 1 | 5,459 |
| KW | 0 | #120 | 2 | 5,216 | |
| Switzerland | Girls | 2024 | #129 | 7 | 1,786 |
| MU | 0 | #137 | 1 | 3,613 | |
| PA | 0 | #138 | 1 | 3,797 | |
| MT | Girls | 0 | #153 | 1 | 3,773 |
| AE | 0 | #184 | 4 | 10,220 | |
| Sweden | Girls | 2016 | #186 | 2 | 1,634 |
| NA | Girls | 0 | #230 | 8 | 7,146 |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #241 | 19 | 7,507 |
| GR | Girls | 0 | #249 | 1 | 6,293 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #263 | 1 | 7,056 |
| SG | 0 | #281 | 2 | 11,010 | |
| IL | 0 | #282 | 1 | 6,291 | |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #289 | 1 | 8,139 |
| JM | Boys | 0 | #293 | 1 | 6,876 |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #304 | 13 | 7,429 |
| CZ | Boys | 0 | #305 | 1 | 6,530 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #307 | 10 | 15,378 |
| Canada | Boys | 2015 | #324 | 5 | 2,393 |
| PE | 0 | #329 | 1 | 6,350 | |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #331 | 1 | 9,639 |
| GT | 0 | #338 | 1 | 5,948 | |
| Finland | Girls | 0 | #347 | 45 | 1,368 |
| NL | 0 | #347 | 45 | 2,481 | |
| MY | 0 | #354 | 1 | 12,352 | |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #357 | 6 | 8,539 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #358 | 33 | 13,098 |
| CN | Girls | 0 | #359 | 1 | 8,829 |
| Germany | 0 | #372 | 66 | 2,542 | |
| ZA | 0 | #392 | 56 | 14,421 | |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #406 | 1 | 8,413 |
| BO | 0 | #408 | 1 | 6,868 | |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #417 | 8 | 15,987 |
| Germany | Girls | 0 | #438 | 517 | 4,949 |
| MX | 0 | #441 | 5 | 8,339 | |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #490 | 26 | 19,177 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #505 | 6 | 10,188 |
| CO | 0 | #508 | 3 | 7,768 | |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #512 | 12 | 10,981 |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #513 | 6 | 9,861 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #528 | 26 | 20,968 |
| GT | Girls | 0 | #533 | 9 | 7,500 |
| NL | Girls | 0 | #544 | 468 | 5,933 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #553 | 809 | 25,928 |
| LY | 0 | #559 | 1 | 12,703 | |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #560 | 1 | 11,671 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #565 | 9 | 11,342 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #565 | 1 | 10,162 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #566 | 21 | 18,916 |
| BH | 0 | #581 | 7 | 17,937 | |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #596 | 20 | 16,104 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #607 | 11 | 11,648 |
| BO | Girls | 0 | #651 | 1 | 9,488 |
| Finland | Girls | 2026 | #678 | 61 | 3,895 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #739 | 1 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #806 | 1 | 18,755 |
| TN | 0 | #865 | 1 | 13,765 | |
| United States | Boys | 2024 | #871 | 22 | 7,044 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #892 | 44 | 25,931 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #909 | 7 | 14,098 |
| United States | Girls | 2004 | #912 | 5 | 9,828 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #912 | 32 | 14,861 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #919 | 8 | 14,506 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #976 | 6 | 15,656 |
| BR | Girls | 0 | #991 | 2 | 12,708 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #1,001 | 1 | 16,906 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,009 | 1 | 14,742 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,027 | 52 | 16,140 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,033 | 1 | 16,355 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #1,039 | 1 | 16,750 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,065 | 8 | 24,821 |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,125 | 59 | 17,781 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,169 | 10 | 25,619 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,179 | 4 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,196 | 4 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,232 | 3 | 20,130 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,254 | 1 | 19,440 | |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,426 | 21 | 9,415 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,686 | 6 | 28,008 |
Merle is popular in 55 countries — most recent births per country:
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