The first name Meryl
A girl’s name from Scottish Gaelic.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Scottish Gaelic origin
A female given name from Scottish Gaelic, variant of Muriel.
A form of Muriel.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Meryl last appeared in the official list in 2024, given to 6 girls. It peaked in 1997, with 9 births (#1,802).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Meryl with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Meryl at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 12 girls born in the United States were named Meryl, the 8,689th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1956, when 156 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Meryl in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
More Scottish Gaelic girls’ names
Questions
- What is the origin of the name Meryl?
- Meryl comes from Scottish Gaelic.
- How popular is the name Meryl?
- In 2024, 6 girls born in England and Wales were named Meryl, ranking 3,695th. Its peak was 1997, with 9 births.
- Is Meryl a boy's or a girl's name?
- Both. Of the 5,599 US babies named Meryl since 1880, 92% were girls and 8% boys.
- When was Meryl most popular?
- 1956 in the United States, when 156 babies were named Meryl, its highest rank at 795th.
- What name is Meryl a form of?
- Meryl is a form of Muriel.