Merlene
Feminine variant of the French name Merline, meaning "blackbird" in Old French.
Name Census estimates that about 908 living Americans carry the first name Merlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Merlene today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Merlene births was 1940 (93 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Merlene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Merlene is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Merlenes were born before 1962.
People living today
908
~ 1 in 377,483 Americans
Peak year
1940
93 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,533
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Merlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Merlene from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 687 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Merlene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Merlene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Merlenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Texas, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Merlene, while Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Merlene
The name Merlene is a relatively modern feminine name that emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the French name Merle, derived from the Old French word "merle" meaning "blackbird," and the suffix "-ene," which was a popular ending for feminine names during that time period.
While the exact origin of the name Merlene is not well-documented, it is likely that it was created as a new name by combining existing name elements. There are no known historical references or appearances of the name Merlene in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the late 19th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Merlene can be found in the United States in the early 20th century. Merlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was a German-American actress and singer who rose to international fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She was known for her distinctive husky voice and her roles in films such as "The Blue Angel" and "Witness for the Prosecution."
Another notable figure with the name Merlene was Merlene Ottey (born 1960), a Jamaican sprinter and Olympic medalist. She is considered one of the greatest female track athletes of all time, having won numerous medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and other major international competitions.
Merlene Favors (born 1957) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump. She won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2006.
Merlene Weingrod (1942-2013) was an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She co-founded the retail chain Fidelity Investments and was actively involved in various charitable organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the United Way.
Merlene Wright (born 1953) is a British actress best known for her roles in television series such as "Doctors," "Grange Hill," and "Coronation Street." She has had a prolific career in television and theater spanning several decades.
While the name Merlene is not widely popular today, it has a rich history and has been borne by several notable individuals across various fields, including entertainment, sports, business, and philanthropy.
People
Merlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Merlene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Merlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Merlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 908 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Merlene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 377,483 US residents.
Is Merlene a common name?
We classify Merlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,379 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Merlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Merlene was 1940, when 93 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Merlene is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Merlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Merlene in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.