Myrna
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 13,604 living Americans carry the first name Myrna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myrna today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myrna births was 1938 (1,808 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myrna. 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 Myrna is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Myrnas were born before 1967.
- • Compared to the 1930s, recent registration numbers for Myrna have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
14K
~ 1 in 25,195 Americans
Peak year
1938
1,808 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1943 SSA rank
#3,887
Tracked since 1885
Gender
Gender distribution for Myrna
Out of the 31,742 babies given the name Myrna since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Myrna as a male name
- Ranked #3,887 in 1943
- 5 male births in 1943
- Peak: 1938 (7 births)
Myrna as a female name
- Ranked #11,795 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1938 (1,801 births)
Popularity
Myrna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myrna from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 10,260 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
Myrna 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 Myrna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Myrnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 49 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Myrna, while Alaska, Vermont, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 567 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myrna
The name Myrna is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek word "myrrh," which refers to the aromatic resin obtained from certain tree species. This resin was highly valued and used in religious rituals, perfumes, and as an embalming agent in ancient times.
Myrrh is mentioned several times in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, where it is described as one of the precious gifts presented to the infant Jesus by the Magi. The name Myrna may have been derived from this association with the sacred and valuable myrrh.
The earliest recorded use of the name Myrna can be traced back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Myrna Loy, an American actress born in 1905. She was a popular leading lady during the Golden Age of Hollywood and starred in numerous films, including "The Thin Man" series.
Another notable figure with the name Myrna was Myrna Blyth, born in 1942, an American businesswoman and author. She served as the editor-in-chief of Ladies' Home Journal and also wrote several books on various topics.
In the world of sports, Myrna Blasingame, born in 1956, was a former professional tennis player from the United States. She achieved a career-high ranking of No. 27 in the world and won two singles titles on the WTA Tour.
Myrna Milgrom, born in 1941, is a Canadian artist known for her abstract paintings and mixed media works. Her artwork has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across North America and Europe.
Myrna Kostash, born in 1949, is a Canadian writer and journalist of Ukrainian descent. She has published several acclaimed works, including memoirs and non-fiction books exploring themes of identity, culture, and history.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Myrna
People
Myrna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myrna 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
Myrna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myrna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13,604 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myrna 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 25,195 US residents.
Is Myrna a common name?
We classify Myrna as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 31,742 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myrna most popular?
The single biggest year for Myrna was 1938, when 1,808 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myrna is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Myrna a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Myrna 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.