Given name & surname · also Celtic
Merlin
Merlin is used as a given name and a surname. One Welsh interpretation is “of the sea fortress; in Arthurian legend, the wizard and mentor of King Arthur.”
Original WelshMyrdhin
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “of the sea fortress; in Arthurian legend, the wizard and mentor of King Arthur.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Welsh and Celtic naming traditions.
How it developed
From Middle English Merlyn, from Medieval Latin Merlinus, from Old French Merlin, from Proto-Brythonic *Mor-ðin (“sea-hill”), from Proto-Celtic *mori (“sea”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Its literary history includes the stories of King Arthur and his knights.
Merlin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 15,968
- 15,049 boys · 919 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 405 babies
- 2025
- 73
- #2,343 for boys · #7,758 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 82% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 59 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,343 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 389 in 1927. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Indiana had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,662 as a first name in 2020; 1,337 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.
Merlin’s family of names
In English usage, Merlin has a related form in Marlin. Merlin has a related form in Merlyn. Merlin has a related form in Merlynn.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Merlin has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Celtic roots to each of them.
12 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Marlinvariant · English
- Merlynvariant
- Merlynnvariant
- Merlenvariant
- Merlonvariant
- Merlanvariant
- Merrlinlikely variant
- Merllinlikely variant
Show 6 moreShow fewer
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- MyrdhinWelsh
- Myrddinbase name · Welsh
- МерлинRussian
- マーリンJapanese
- MerlinoItalian
- ΜέρλινGreek
- MerlínSpanish
- MarzhinCornish
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Merlin
- Merlin OlsenAmerican football player and actor (1940-2010)
- Merlin HummelGerman hammer throwerborn 2002
- Merlin HollandBritish writerborn 1945
- Merlin TandjigoraGabonese footballerborn 1990
- Merlin SantanaAmerican actor (1976–2002)
- Merlin PolzinGerman football managerborn 1990
- Merlin MalinowskiCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1958
- Merlin StoneAmerican author, sculptor, and professor of art and art history1931–2011
- Merlin SurgetFrench snowboarderborn 1999
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Merlin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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