Murriel
Feminine
Murriel is given to both — 513 girls and 120 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Murriel is Muriel with a second r, three syllables, MYOOR-ee-el, and a record that includes boys as well as girls. The doubled letter gives it the look of the English surname Murrell, which is one road the boys' side of the record could have taken.
How old is the name Murriel?
Murriel first appears in US birth records in 1892 — 133 years ago. The typical Murriel alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 100 people named Murriel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Murriel most popular?
Murriel peaked in 1892, reaching #1450 nationally. See the whole 1892 chart.
Where it comes from
From Muriel to Murriel
Our story of Murriel
Our story of Murriel is about one extra letter doing two jobs. For a daughter the name is Muriel, the old Celtic name, written with a second r. For a son it looks like Murrell, an English family name, and a doubled r is exactly the letter that makes the difference between the two. The record holds both children under one spelling and does not say which road each family took, so the name keeps both in reserve.
Meaningnot established
Not established
On the girls' side Murriel reads as Muriel, a Celtic name usually taken to mean 'sea-bright'. On the boys' side the English surname Murrell is another possible source. Nothing is recorded for the doubled r, and the record cannot say which families meant which.
How the name formed
- Muriel
- Murriel
Pronouncing Murriel
MYOOR-ee-el
Said like Muriel: three syllables, stress on the first. The double r leads some readers to MUR-ee-el, with the vowel of hurry.
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
- 1892
- Most girls named
- 192528 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1450reached in 1892
- Change vs 1955
- −16.7%5 in 1956, 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.
Murriels among us
people named Murriel 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
Murriel 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
- Sounds exactly like Muriel, a name with a long English history, so it is familiar when said.
- Recorded for girls and for boys.
- Three syllables with one clear stress.
- It will be taken for Muriel with a typo, and forms will correct it; the second r will need pointing out.
- Most people hear the sound as a woman's name, so a boy named Murriel will usually be taken for a girl on paper; the boys in its record show it has been carried by sons before.
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What they receive
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Murriel
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Murriels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Murriel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Murriel in 2025?
- Murriel is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Murriel with classmates?
- Murriel 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 Murriel? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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