NamesGirlM › Merla
Girl name

Merla

100% girls · last recorded 1966

Merla has been given to about 424 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1949, which makes it a midcentury name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables2
Pronunciation
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 240
Median age today79 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Merla per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesScotlandeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1949 · 16
  • Born in 20250
  • All time424

How popular is Merla?

Its best year was 1949, when 16 babies were given the name, ranking 2590th. The typical living American called Merla is about 79 years old today.

Names that sound like Merla

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Perla0.85
  2. Verla0.85
  3. Marla0.78
  4. Ella0.70
  5. Bella0.70
  6. Della0.70
  7. Lela0.70
  8. Zella0.70

Middle names for Merla

Ranked by flow score
  1. Merla Josephine0.84
  2. Merla Rose0.83
  3. Merla Louise0.83
  4. Merla June0.82
  5. Merla Pearl0.82
  6. Merla Quinn0.82

Sibling names for Merla

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Ruthiesister · 0.73
  2. Elouisesister · 0.68
  3. Fayesister · 0.68
  4. Harlanbrother · 0.64
  5. Louiebrother · 0.62
  6. Otisbrother · 0.62

Where Merla is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state

    With a common surname

    Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
    1. Merla White0.78
    2. Merla Reyes0.78
    3. Merla Nguyen0.78
    4. Merla Lee0.78
    5. Merla Hill0.78
    6. Merla Green0.78

    How to read these numbers

    Every score on this page is explained
    1. Phonetic similarity0–1
    2. Middle-name flow0–1
    3. Sibling fit0–1
    4. Living population estimatemethod
    5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

    Sources for Merla

    Every figure on this page is public record
    1. United States1880–2025
    2. Scotland1974–2020

    Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.