Merlinda
Feminine
Merlinda has a notable bearer in the Filipino-Australian writer Merlinda Bobis, whose novels and poems move between the Philippines and Australia. The name itself joins two familiar sounds, the Merl- of Merlin and Merle and the -linda of Linda, and its origin is not documented.
How old is the name Merlinda?
Merlinda first appears in US birth records in 1931 — 94 years ago. The typical Merlinda alive today was born around 1964, making them about 61 years old. About 500 people named Merlinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Merlinda most popular?
Merlinda peaked in 1958, reaching #2581 nationally. See the whole 1958 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Merlinda
Our story of Merlinda is about two sounds meeting. At the front is Merl-, the opening of Merlin the enchanter and of Merle; at the back is -linda, the Spanish word for pretty, which had its own long run as a name in English. Joined, they make a three-syllable name with a lilt in the middle. In our own time it has been carried into print by a novelist and poet writing between two countries, which is a fine history for any name to start with.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No meaning is documented for Merlinda. It may be Merlin or Merle with an ending, or Linda with a new front; Linda is Spanish for pretty, but no record says that meaning was intended here.
Pronouncing Merlinda
mer-LIN-dah
Three syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Merlinda
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1931
- Most girls named
- 196422 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2581reached in 1958
- Change vs 2005
- +20.0%6 in 2009, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Merlindas among us
people named Merlinda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Merlinda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Has a documented contemporary bearer in literature.
- Built from familiar sounds, so it is easy to say.
- Linda sits inside it as a ready short form.
- It will be heard as Melinda and corrected to it, and the r will need spelling out.
- There is no documented meaning, only the names and words it resembles.
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Merlinda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Merlindas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Merlinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Merlinda in 2025?
- Merlinda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Merlinda with classmates?
- Merlinda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Merlinda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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