Merlin
Meaning
sea fortress
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Merlin peaked in the 1910s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
359 people · the #16,813 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 33
Among people named Merlin living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 31 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Merlin
People given the name Merlin in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 2009. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Merlin deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Merlin truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Merlin fits with your family’s names and surname.
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