Myrla
A modern invented name possibly derived from the Spanish "miel" meaning honey.
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Myrla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myrla today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myrla births was 1940 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myrla. 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 Myrla is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Myrlas were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Myrla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
1940
9 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1960 SSA rank
#6,181
Tracked since 1908
Census
Myrla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 226 people with the first name Myrla, which placed it at #35,529 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,529
National first-name rank
People counted
226
226 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
35.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myrla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myrla is White at 35.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.6%) and Hispanic (26.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Myrla described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Myrla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White35.4% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.6% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino26.5% · 60
- Black or African American6.6% · 15
- Two or more races1.8% · 4
Popularity
Myrla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myrla from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 41 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Myrla 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 Myrla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myrla
The name Myrla is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich history that spans across cultures and centuries. Its linguistic origins can be traced back to the Old Norse language, where the name is believed to have derived from the combination of the words "myrr" and "lilja," meaning "myrrh" and "lily," respectively. This fusion of words suggests a connection to nature, with the myrrh plant representing fragrance and the lily flower symbolizing purity and renewal.
During the Viking era, the name Myrla was prevalent among the Scandinavian communities, particularly in Iceland and Norway. It was often bestowed upon female children as a reflection of the admiration for the natural world and the desire to imbue them with qualities of strength and resilience. The name's association with the myrrh plant also carried spiritual connotations, as myrrh was a highly valued commodity used in religious ceremonies and rituals.
While the name's historical references are scarce, some scholars have suggested that it may have been mentioned in ancient Norse sagas or skaldic poetry, further solidifying its connection to the rich cultural heritage of the region. However, these references remain speculative, and further research is needed to substantiate these claims.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Myrla can be found in various historical documents and records from the 9th to 11th centuries, primarily in Scandinavia. One notable figure bearing this name was Myrla Ingemarsdotter, a powerful Norse noblewoman who lived in the late 10th century and was known for her strong leadership and influence in the region.
Throughout history, the name Myrla has been carried by several remarkable individuals, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields. One such person was Myrla Vikingsdottir, a renowned Viking explorer and navigator from the 11th century, who is credited with leading expeditions to the shores of Greenland and North America.
Another notable figure was Myrla Halvorsdottir, a 13th-century Norwegian poet and scholar, whose works were widely celebrated for their depth and lyrical beauty. Her contributions to the literary landscape of her time were significant, and she is often regarded as one of the foremost poets of the medieval period in Scandinavia.
In the realm of the arts, Myrla Sigurdsdottir, a 15th-century Icelandic painter, left a lasting legacy with her intricate and vibrant depictions of Norse mythology and landscapes. Her works are considered masterpieces of the Renaissance era and have been exhibited in renowned museums worldwide.
Lastly, Myrla Thorvaldsdottir, a 17th-century Icelandic mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the field of celestial navigation. Her groundbreaking calculations and observations paved the way for more accurate sea voyages and laid the foundation for future advancements in astronomy.
While the name Myrla may have faded from widespread use in recent times, its historical significance and cultural richness remain a testament to the enduring legacy of the Norse heritage and the remarkable individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.
People
Myrla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myrla 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
Myrla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myrla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myrla 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Myrla a common name?
We classify Myrla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 98 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myrla most popular?
The single biggest year for Myrla was 1940, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myrla is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Myrla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 226 people with the name Myrla, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,529 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Myrla in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Myrla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Myrla appears almost entirely female. Of the 228 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Myrla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myrla is White at 35.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.6%) and Hispanic (26.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Myrla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Myrla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.4% (80 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Myrla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Myrla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Myrla 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.
Is Myrla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Myrla in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Myrla can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Myrla?
Find out how many Americans are named Myrla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.