Masculine dossier · first seen 1885
Merlin
Resurgent
Gaining cultural share
Peak era
1927
Peak births
389
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Merlin
How many people are named Merlin?
An estimated 4,978 living Americans are named Merlin.
How rare is Merlin?
Merlin is uncommon among babies today, with 59 boys receiving the name in 2025, down 84.8% from its 1927 peak.
How old is the typical Merlin?
The median age of a living American named Merlin is approximately 57 years, with most bearers falling between 27 and 72 years old.
Is Merlin still popular?
Yes — Merlin is currently rising in popularity, with 59 births in 2025. Births this decade are running about 1.5× higher than the previous decade.
Where is Merlin most common?
Merlin has its strongest geographic signal in Utah, where it appears 8.1× more often than the national baseline.
1885Peak 19272025
Peak year
1927
Decline from peak
84.8%
2025
59
All-time
15,049
Where it lives now
Merlin is most concentrated in Wisconsin — about 7.5× the national rate in the 1920s.
States where Merlin is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.