Given name & surname
Merel
“of the shining sea”
Merel is a variant of Merrill. One English interpretation is “of the shining sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Merel is a variant of Merrill. One English interpretation is “of the shining sea.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Merel is a variant of Merrill. An origin associated with Merrill is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Merel is a variant of Merrill. The history of Merrill gives this family its wider story. Merrill’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Merel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 240
- 205 boys · 35 girls
- Most popular year
- 1926
- 19 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1971. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14 in 1926. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 240 as a first name in 2020; 217 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Merel’s family of names
Merel has a related form in Merrill. Merel has a related form in Meryl.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Merel
- Merel ConijnDutch speed skaterborn 2001
- Merel van DongenDutch footballerborn 1993
- Merel SmuldersDutch bicycle motocross rider (born 1994)born 1998
- Merel de BlaeijOlympic field hockey playerborn 1986
- Merel FreriksDutch handball playerborn 1998
- Merel WitteveenDutch sailorborn 1985
- Merel BechtoldDutch musicianborn 1992
- Merel MaesBelgian track and field athleteborn 2005
- Merel MoorenDutch beach volleyball playerborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Merel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Murrel
“of the shining sea”
80% boys · 20% girls
Meril
“of the shining sea”
87% boys · 13% girls
Murrell
“of the shining sea”
85% boys · 15% girls
Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls
Murvin
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Mervyn
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Meade
“from the meadow”
99% boys · 1% girls
Mansfield
“from the field near the small river”
>99% boys