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.

# 965 in the US

Merlin Rank in US Top 1000

# 709 on Nameberry

Merlin Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Merlin Popularity

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