Gender
Male
Origin
- English
- Sea fortress. In Arthurian mythology the wizard Merlin was King Arthurs mentor.
- Celtic
- From the hill over the sea
- Welsh
- Sea fortress. In Arthurian mythology the wizard Merlin was King Arthur''s mentor.
Syllables
2
Themes
- Animal
- Arthurian Legend
Alternate Spellings and Variants of Merlyn
Pronunciation
m(e)-rl-yn, mer-lyn
Popularity in the USA
- Boys: peak in 1930 (rank #509, 137 births); most recent 2025 (rank #10695, 6 births)
- Girls: peak in 1925 (rank #1210, 41 births); most recent 2025 (rank #11932, 7 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 7 |
| 2024 | – | 5 |
| 2023 | – | 11 |
| 2022 | 7 | 11 |
| 2021 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020 | 5 | 11 |
| 2019 | 6 | 10 |
| 2018 | – | 9 |
| 2017 | 6 | 9 |
| 2016 | 6 | 8 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in the USA (2025)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), national baby names data (public domain). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA. Data years: 1880 to 2025. Original data
Popularity in England and Wales
- Boys: peak in 2023 (rank #4985, 3 births)
- Girls: peak in 2008 (rank #5533, 3 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | – |
| 2024 | – | – |
| 2023 | 3 | – |
| 2022 | – | – |
| 2021 | – | – |
| 2020 | – | – |
| 2019 | – | – |
| 2018 | – | – |
| 2017 | – | – |
| 2016 | 3 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in England and Wales (2025)
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1996 to 2025. Original data · Licence