# Muriel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/muriel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Meaning | “sea”, “white”, “bright”, “yellow”, “green” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmjʊəɹɪ.əl/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Merrell, Merril, Merrill, Murrell, Murrill, Meryl |
| US babies named this | 55,646 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 762 / 54,884 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 21, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Muireall, from muir (“sea”), from Old Irish muir, from Proto-Celtic *mori, from Proto-Indo-European *móri; + geal (“white, bright”), from Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos (“yellow, white”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”).

## What it means

Muriel is grouped under green, light, sea and white.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 6,277 |
| 2012 | 16 | 7,694 |
| 2013 | 15 | 8,045 |
| 2014 | 30 | 4,735 |
| 2015 | 28 | 4,943 |
| 2016 | 21 | 6,124 |
| 2017 | 26 | 5,144 |
| 2018 | 19 | 6,436 |
| 2019 | 20 | 6,117 |
| 2020 | 20 | 6,014 |
| 2021 | 19 | 6,334 |
| 2022 | 22 | 5,753 |
| 2023 | 27 | 4,956 |
| 2024 | 50 | 3,210 |
| 2025 | 32 | 4,430 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 8 | 2,789 |
| 1945 | 6 | 3,215 |
| 1946 | 9 | 2,645 |
| 1947 | 13 | 2,223 |
| 1948 | 10 | 2,563 |
| 1949 | 15 | 2,001 |
| 1950 | 8 | 2,951 |
| 1951 | 13 | 2,214 |
| 1953 | 10 | 2,660 |
| 1954 | 6 | 3,704 |
| 1955 | 6 | 3,764 |
| 1956 | 8 | 3,122 |
| 1959 | 5 | 4,384 |
| 1961 | 7 | 3,568 |
| 1966 | 5 | 4,343 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3 | 3,912 |
| 2010 | 5 | 4,012 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |
| 2023 | 3 | 5,687 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3,318 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: مُورِيَل, مُورِييَل
- Armenian: Մյուրիել
- Bulgarian: Мюриъл, Мюриел
- French: Muriel, Murielle
- Hebrew: מוּרִיֶּאל, מְיּוּרִיֶּאל
- Hungarian: Muriel
- Irish: Muirgeal, Muirgheal
- Japanese: ミュリエル
- Portuguese: Muriel
- Russian: Мю́риэл, Ма́риэль, Мюрие́ль
- Scottish Gaelic: Muireall, Muirgheal
- Ukrainian: Мю́ріел

## People named Muriel

- Muriel Barbery, French writer
- Muriel Robb, English tennis player (1878–1907)
- Muriel Humphrey, American politician (1912–1998)
- Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter
- Muriel Robin, French actress and comedian
- Muriel Pavlow, British actress (1921-2019)
- Muriel Freeman, fencer (1897–1980)
- Muriel Baumeister, Austrian-German actress
- Muriel Evans, American actress, radio personality (1910-2000)
- Muriel Pénicaud, French business executive and politician
- Muriel Gustavo Becker, Brazilian footballer
- Muriel Ostriche, American actress (1896-1989)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.