Merwyn
Masculine
Merwyn is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 786 boys against 10 girls since 1880.
Merwyn writes a Welsh name with English letters, or possibly does not. The Welsh original has an f in the middle of it, and that f is said as a v, which is one of the reasons Welsh spelling looks stranger to English eyes than it deserves.
How old is the name Merwyn?
Merwyn first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Merwyn alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 200 people named Merwyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Merwyn most popular?
Merwyn peaked in 1937, reaching #1031 nationally. See the whole 1937 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Merwyn
Welsh uses a single f for the sound English writes as v, and a doubled ff for the sound English writes as f. It is entirely consistent and it catches out every English reader, because the two commonest Welsh words a visitor meets, of and afon, both have it. The reason is historical: the sound in the middle of a Welsh word softened over centuries while the letter stayed put, which is exactly what happened to English words like of, which is spelled with an f and said with a v for the same reason. So English respellings of Welsh names put the v back where an English reader expects it, and in doing so make the name look modern when the sound it records is very old.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Welsh name behind this family is old and its elements are argued over; the first has been read as marrow, as sea and as eminent, and none is settled. This spelling, with a w, is an English respelling and adds nothing to the question.
Pronouncing Merwyn
MUR-win
Two syllables with the stress in front. In Welsh the name is closer to MER-vin, with a clearer first vowel.
Nicknames for Merwyn
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
- 1912
- Most boys named
- 193738 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1031reached in 1937
- Change vs 1969
- 0.0%6 in 1971, from 6
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.
Merwyn in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Merfyn in Welsh — related form
Merwyns among us
people named Merwyn 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
Merwyn 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
- The spelling tells an English reader how to say it, which the Welsh version does not.
- Merv is available as a short form and needs no explaining.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it leaves a question open rather than closing it.
- The spelling is recorded for a few girls, but nearly every child with it is a boy.
- Mervyn and Merfyn are both in the record, so the spelling will be checked back with you.
- It reads as a name of an older generation in America and in Wales alike.
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Merwyn
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Merwyns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Merwyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Merwyn in 2025?
- Merwyn is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Merwyn with classmates?
- Merwyn will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Michael#21 · Matthew#32 · Mark#244 · Mason#39 · Martin#335 · Marvin#699 · Melvin#958 · Marcus#258
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Merwyn? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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