Merlin Forename
13,384th
Most Common
name in the World
Approximately 73,079 people bear this name
Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Honduras
Merlin Forename Definition:
Celtic, ‘sea-hill.’ Unusual in C20, it will, to the educated, for long recall the sage beguiled by Vivien in the Arthurian cycle: a story found in Nennius’s history of the Britons and treated at length by Tennyson in the Idyll entitled Merlin and Vivien, 1859.
Read More About This ForenameMerlin Forename Distribution
| Place | Gender | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 86% | 15,284 | 1:23,720 | 1,804 |
| Indonesia | 100% | 9,082 | 1:28,404 | 3,855 |
| Honduras | 100% | 7,513 | 1:1,174 | 207 |
| Cameroon | 100% | 6,308 | 1:3,426 | 609 |
| India | 100% | 4,163 | 1:291,828 | 27,301 |
| Philippines | 77% | 4,090 | 1:25,919 | 2,442 |
| DR Congo | 99% | 3,280 | 1:22,508 | 1,809 |
| Venezuela | 98% | 2,326 | 1:12,984 | 1,273 |
| Congo | 100% | 2,026 | 1:2,472 | 392 |
| Saudi Arabia | - | 1,340 | 1:22,994 | 3,005 |
| Colombia | 100% | 1,115 | 1:42,851 | 2,101 |
| El Salvador | - | 1,031 | 1:6,151 | 581 |
| Canada | 100% | 1,008 | 1:32,870 | 2,521 |
| Peru | 74% | 973 | 1:32,674 | 2,066 |
| Lebanon | 100% | 944 | 1:5,961 | 794 |
| South Africa | 59% | 880 | 1:61,969 | 5,951 |
| Guatemala | 81% | 856 | 1:18,818 | 1,164 |
| Nicaragua | 79% | 657 | 1:9,160 | 1,011 |
| Costa Rica | 67% | 645 | 1:7,392 | 787 |
| Gabon | 100% | 641 | 1:2,938 | 671 |
| Ecuador | - | 621 | 1:28,546 | 1,379 |
| Dominican Republic | - | 587 | 1:17,770 | 1,745 |
| Ghana | - | 562 | 1:48,018 | 2,599 |
| England | 97% | 555 | 1:100,185 | 3,819 |
| Mexico | 50% | 517 | 1:240,125 | 3,921 |
| Estonia | 100% | 491 | 1:2,679 | 523 |
| Jamaica | - | 396 | 1:7,281 | 957 |
| Netherlands | 89% | 339 | 1:49,859 | 3,412 |
| Bulgaria | 97% | 327 | 1:21,377 | 1,592 |
| Brazil | 100% | 313 | 1:684,461 | 20,230 |
| Germany | 100% | 290 | 1:333,372 | 4,145 |
| Bolivia | 100% | 259 | 1:40,932 | 1,870 |
| Kuwait | - | 228 | 1:16,602 | 1,838 |
| Haiti | 100% | 219 | 1:48,982 | 3,280 |
| Russia | 73% | 218 | 1:661,622 | 6,574 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 100% | 209 | 1:6,514 | 1,075 |
| Malaysia | 86% | 199 | 1:153,015 | 9,545 |
| Papua New Guinea | 99% | 162 | 1:50,323 | 4,878 |
| China | - | 135 | 1:10,118,932 | 59,646 |
| Zimbabwe | 97% | 117 | 1:131,827 | 8,912 |
| Bahrain | - | 104 | 1:12,968 | 2,016 |
| France | 100% | 101 | 1:658,122 | 6,237 |
| Italy | 82% | 94 | 1:649,597 | 6,400 |
| Wales | 100% | 88 | 1:35,163 | 1,463 |
| Qatar | 62% | 82 | 1:28,898 | 3,958 |
| Suriname | 100% | 82 | 1:6,742 | 1,371 |
| Cuba | - | 79 | 1:145,653 | 2,456 |
| New Zealand | - | 78 | 1:58,154 | 2,996 |
| Australia | - | 76 | 1:179,706 | 4,814 |
| Chile | 64% | 75 | 1:234,763 | 3,994 |
| Albania | 59% | 64 | 1:47,603 | 4,427 |
| Turkey | 95% | 62 | 1:1,254,866 | 11,187 |
| Panama | 100% | 56 | 1:69,760 | 4,016 |
| Mauritius | - | 52 | 1:24,957 | 2,114 |
| Palestine | 100% | 50 | 1:91,001 | 1,816 |
| Jordan | 100% | 47 | 1:187,804 | 2,611 |
| Spain | 75% | 47 | 1:989,999 | 8,652 |
| Argentina | 63% | 46 | 1:929,853 | 5,018 |
| Iraq | 100% | 43 | 1:814,369 | 7,317 |
| Belgium | 92% | 40 | 1:287,251 | 5,932 |
| Scotland | 97% | 40 | 1:133,759 | 2,800 |
| Ireland | 100% | 38 | 1:122,198 | 2,794 |
| Thailand | 79% | 35 | 1:2,001,880 | 55,915 |
| Switzerland | 95% | 34 | 1:241,573 | 5,210 |
| Belize | 100% | 33 | 1:10,737 | 1,564 |
| Nigeria | 76% | 33 | 1:5,380,738 | 76,768 |
| Guyana | 100% | 29 | 1:26,319 | 2,986 |
| Portugal | - | 28 | 1:371,817 | 6,212 |
| Singapore | 100% | 28 | 1:224,538 | 8,753 |
| Taiwan | 100% | 27 | 1:880,359 | 36,323 |
| Belarus | 60% | 26 | 1:364,707 | 2,597 |
| Sweden | 61% | 25 | 1:394,316 | 10,934 |
| Finland | 58% | 24 | 1:228,466 | 3,699 |
| Czechia | 85% | 23 | 1:463,311 | 2,414 |
| Austria | 100% | 21 | 1:405,438 | 4,185 |
| Saint Lucia | 87% | 19 | 1:9,359 | 1,306 |
| Aruba | - | 17 | 1:6,105 | 1,121 |
| Central African Republic | - | 16 | 1:282,212 | 391 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 100% | 15 | 1:3,657 | 689 |
| Kosovo | - | 14 | 1:132,960 | 6,379 |
| Liberia | 67% | 14 | 1:315,147 | 9,860 |
| Barbados | - | 13 | 1:22,291 | 1,774 |
| Hong Kong | - | 13 | 1:596,363 | 4,636 |
| Denmark | - | 12 | 1:470,792 | 7,517 |
| Slovenia | 100% | 11 | 1:223,523 | 3,995 |
| Grenada | 100% | 9 | 1:12,014 | 1,427 |
| Norway | 100% | 9 | 1:570,259 | 9,843 |
| Paraguay | 100% | 9 | 1:804,089 | 6,114 |
| Tajikistan | 100% | 9 | 1:930,547 | 3,856 |
| Benin | 100% | 7 | 1:1,510,835 | 32,846 |
| Cayman Islands | - | 7 | 1:8,757 | 1,332 |
| Guam | - | 7 | 1:22,949 | 2,164 |
| Kenya | - | 7 | 1:6,615,301 | 31,578 |
| United Arab Emirates | - | 7 | 1:1,021,713 | 39,786 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | - | 6 | 1:16,566 | 2,341 |
| Namibia | - | 6 | 1:400,696 | 5,862 |
| Oman | - | 6 | 1:684,778 | 5,486 |
| Uruguay | - | 6 | 1:571,273 | 6,582 |
| Moldova | - | 5 | 1:712,228 | 3,885 |
| United States Virgin Islands | - | 5 | 1:21,949 | 2,239 |
| Algeria | - | 4 | 1:9,544,180 | 14,095 |
| Angola | - | 4 | 1:6,741,652 | 4,704 |
| Anguilla | 100% | 4 | 1:3,314 | 681 |
| Japan | - | 4 | 1:31,996,514 | 55,536 |
| Kazakhstan | 60% | 4 | 1:4,436,711 | 24,678 |
| Morocco | - | 4 | 1:8,587,159 | 11,086 |
| Pakistan | 67% | 4 | 1:48,589,420 | 158,924 |
| Seychelles | - | 4 | 1:23,168 | 1,192 |
| Sri Lanka | - | 4 | 1:5,199,772 | 10,550 |
| Uzbekistan | - | 4 | 1:7,696,610 | 11,277 |
| Dominica | - | 3 | 1:25,157 | 718 |
| Israel | 96% | 3 | 1:2,800,973 | 24,529 |
| Ivory Coast | 100% | 3 | 1:7,691,978 | 82,363 |
| South Korea | - | 3 | 1:1,848,140 | 23,578 |
| Uganda | 100% | 3 | 1:13,652,307 | 74,436 |
| Vietnam | - | 3 | 1:30,874,371 | 5,995 |
| Northern Ireland | - | 2 | 1:921,573 | 3,058 |
| Armenia | 100% | 2 | 1:1,459,376 | 10,220 |
| Bahamas | - | 2 | 1:199,685 | 2,758 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 100% | 2 | 1:1,762,229 | 6,852 |
| Croatia | 100% | 2 | 1:2,108,538 | 15,895 |
| Luxembourg | - | 2 | 1:282,024 | 3,520 |
| Montenegro | 100% | 2 | 1:317,288 | 3,822 |
| Nepal | - | 2 | 1:14,243,676 | 86,069 |
| Romania | - | 2 | 1:10,025,988 | 47,037 |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | - | 2 | 1:2,914 | 288 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 100% | 2 | 1:55,790 | 4,636 |
| Serbia | 100% | 2 | 1:3,572,860 | 8,125 |
| Syria | - | 2 | 1:9,653,038 | 7,712 |
| Tanzania | 100% | 2 | 1:26,394,160 | 73,301 |
| Afghanistan | 100% | 1 | 1:32,623,516 | 66,536 |
| Andorra | - | 1 | 1:82,887 | 1,356 |
| Bangladesh | - | 1 | 1:159,461,366 | 36,167 |
| Bermuda | - | 1 | 1:64,826 | 2,481 |
| British Virgin Islands | - | 1 | 1:31,250 | 1,787 |
| Cambodia | - | 1 | 1:16,273,330 | 74,610 |
| Chad | 100% | 1 | 1:13,598,398 | 15,363 |
| Curaçao | - | 1 | 1:155,803 | 1,239 |
| Cyprus | - | 1 | 1:871,076 | 5,368 |
| Equatorial Guinea | - | 1 | 1:1,137,689 | 1,044 |
| Georgia | - | 1 | 1:3,738,466 | 29,095 |
| Iceland | - | 1 | 1:366,017 | 7,938 |
| Iran | - | 1 | 1:78,496,868 | 65,150 |
| Kyrgyzstan | - | 1 | 1:5,973,277 | 46,622 |
| Latvia | - | 1 | 1:2,015,645 | 6,531 |
| Macau | - | 1 | 1:608,209 | 2,350 |
| North Macedonia | - | 1 | 1:2,090,757 | 15,787 |
| Maldives | - | 1 | 1:433,903 | 5,827 |
| Malta | - | 1 | 1:429,360 | 3,141 |
| Mozambique | - | 1 | 1:27,243,357 | 5,091 |
| Poland | 50% | 1 | 1:38,027,112 | 9,241 |
| Puerto Rico | - | 1 | 1:3,550,301 | 10,040 |
| Rwanda | - | 1 | 1:11,371,433 | 4,615 |
| Senegal | - | 1 | 1:14,581,356 | 34,505 |
| Togo | - | 1 | 1:7,239,239 | 8,047 |
| Turkmenistan | 100% | 1 | 1:5,472,870 | 3,925 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | - | 1 | 1:34,707 | 1,398 |
| Yemen | - | 1 | 1:26,296,751 | 14,474 |
The alternate forms: Merlín (9), Mérlin (3) & Merlìn (1) are calculated separately.
Merlin (33,556) may also be a surname.
Merlin Forename Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
Celtic, ‘sea-hill.’ Unusual in C20, it will, to the educated, for long recall the sage beguiled by Vivien in the Arthurian cycle: a story found in Nennius’s history of the Britons and treated at length by Tennyson in the Idyll entitled Merlin and Vivien, 1859. To the Welsh, Merlin is a bard; perhaps originally he was an ancient British god. (Harvey.)
— Name This Child (1959) by Eric Partridge
The English form of the British name Merddhin. Probably derived through the French.
— Prænomina (1882) by Richard Stephen Charnock
A Celtic name, meaning: [Dweller on] a hill by the sea.
— Dictionary of Given Names with Origins and Meanings (1934) by Flora Haines Loughead
Merlin Forename Popularity
Merlin Demographics
Average Male Merlin Height
176.14 cm
Average male height (US):
175.3 cm
Sample size: 233 (2014)
Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries
Phonetically Similar Names
Merlin Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Merlin in the Russian language | ||
| Мерлин | merlin | - |
Search for Another Forename
The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data
Footnotes
- First names are taken from the first part of an person's personal name. That is, not their inherited name(s), i.e. their surname(s). The first name includes particles, but not middle names
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Merlin