Masculine dossier · first seen 1908
Merlyn
Stable
Cross-generational persistence
Peak era
1930
Peak births
137
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Silent Generation
Quick answers about Merlyn
How many people are named Merlyn?
An estimated 718 living Americans are named Merlyn.
How rare is Merlyn?
Merlyn is very rare among babies today, with 6 boys receiving the name in 2025, down 95.6% from its 1930 peak.
How old is the typical Merlyn?
The median age of a living American named Merlyn is approximately 72 years, with most bearers falling between 57 and 81 years old.
Is Merlyn still popular?
Yes. Merlyn is holding steady, with 6 births in 2025 and a consistent recent baseline.
Where is Merlyn most common?
Merlyn has its strongest geographic signal in South Dakota, where it appears 17.6× more often than the national baseline.
1908Peak 19302025
Peak year
1930
Decline from peak
95.6%
2025
6
All-time
3,410
Where it lives now
Merlyn is most concentrated in South Dakota — about 17.6× the national rate in the 1930s. It also runs high in Iowa.
States where Merlyn is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.