Merlin

Welsh

"sea fortress"

Merlin Origin and Meaning

The name Merlin is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "sea fortress".

This name of the famous fifth-century sorcerer and mentor of King Arthur may or may not be a bit wizardy for a real-life modern child. Its most noted modern bearer: football star turned actor Merlin Olsen, whose father was named Merle.

Merlin fell off the US Top 1000 half a century ago, though it ranks in the Nameberry Top 1000, which could be a harbinger of its return. About 50 baby boys were named Merlin in the US last year, and about ten girls. It is used in contemporary Germany.

Merlin Rank in US Top 1000

# 965 in the US

Merlin Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 719 on Nameberry

Merlin Popularity

• 719 Nameberry 2024
• 412 Germany 2016
• 61 Cats 2022

20 Names Similar to Merlin

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Merlin.

• Perseus
• Emrys
• Pine
• Marlin
• Sherlock
• Lancelot
• Nimue
• Marlowe
• Madoc
• Albus
• Bevan
• Draco
• Umbria
• Locke
• Misha
• Morgan
• Zeus
• Hecate
• Arbor
• Laurence

Famous People Named Merlin

• Merlin de Douai (born Philippe Antoine Merlin), French politician and lawyer
• Merlin de Thionville (born Antoine Christophe Merlin), French revolutionary
• Merlin Santana American actor
• Merlin Olsen American football player and actor
• Merlin Holland grandson of novelist Oscar Wilde
• Merlin Mann American podcaster of 43 Folders
• Merlin Ferry (b. 1991) son of singer Bryan Ferry
• Merlin Esra Besson (b. 1992) son of musician Richard Z. Kruspe of Rammstein
• Merlin Sheldrake (b. 1992) son of biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake; brother of Cosmo
• Merlin van Lawick grandson of primatologist Jane Goodall

Merlin in Pop Culture

• Merlin wizard of Arthurian legend
• Merlin Langstaff character from the TV series "The Worst Witch"
• Merlin female character in manga/anime The Seven Deadly Sins (Nanatsu no Taizai)
• Merlin a type of bird (Latin name: Falco columbarius)
• Merlin Wizard character on Bee and Puppycat