Given name & surname
Merril
“of the shining sea”
Merril is a variant of Merrill. One English interpretation is “of the shining sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Merril is a variant of Merrill. One English interpretation is “of the shining sea.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Merril is a variant of Merrill. An origin associated with Merrill is English. Merril is a variant of Muriel. An origin associated with Muriel is Celtic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1910. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Merril 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
Merril through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 992
- 858 boys · 134 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 37 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 5 in 2008. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 37 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 585 as a first name in 2020; a sample rank of No. 46,273 among surnames in 1990.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Merril’s family of names
Merril has a related form in Muriel. Merril has a related form in Merrill.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Merril, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Meril
“of the shining sea”
87% boys · 13% girls
Murrell
“of the shining sea”
85% boys · 15% girls
Murvin
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Murrel
“of the shining sea”
80% boys · 20% girls
Meade
“from the meadow”
99% boys · 1% girls
Mansfield
“from the field near the small river”
>99% boys
Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls
Eleck
“resembling a star”
>99% boys