Merle is a given name used by both men and women, from the French word ''merle'' meaning blackbird (from the Latin ''merula'').. Related names are ''Merrill'' or '' Muriel''.

People

Female

Merle Barwis Merle E. Barwis (December 23, 1900 – November 22, 2014) was an American-Canadian supercentenarian who was at the time of her death, aged 113 years 334 days, the oldest living resident of Canada and one of oldest people ever in Canada. She became ...

(1900–2014), American-Canadian supercentenarian *

Merle van Benthem Merle van Benthem (born 7 December 1992) is a Dutch BMX rider, representing her nation at international competitions. She competed in the time trial event and race event at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships The 2015 UCI BMX World Champion ...

(born 1992), Dutch cyclist * Merle Chambers (born 1946), American business executive * Merle Collins (born 1950), Grenadian poet and writer * Merle Dandridge (born 1975), American actress and singer *

Merle Egan Anderson Merle Egan Anderson (born Merle Egan, Smith Center, Kansas 1888, died 1984) was a member of the United States Army Signal Corps' Female Telephone Operators Unit during World War I. She is one of the first 447 female veterans of the U.S. Army. She ...

(c. 1888–1984), American military servicewoman *

Merle Feld Merle Feld (born in 1947) is an educator, activist, author, playwright, and poet. Biography Merle Feld was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1968 she graduated from Brooklyn College and moved to Boston, where she became involved with ...

(1947), American author, playwright, poet and activist *

Merle S. Goldberg Merle S. Goldberg (April 13, 1936 – November 29, 1998) was an American journalist and an abortion activist. She was head of the National Women's Health Coalition which later became the International Women's Health Coalition. Goldberg also fo ...

(1936–1998), American journalist and an abortion rights activist * Merle Goldman (born 1931), American historian * Merle Greene Robertson (1913–2011), American artist, art historian and archaeologist * Merle Hodge (born 1944), Trinidadian novelist * Merle Hoffman (born 1946), American journalist and activist * Merle Jääger (born 1965), Estonian actress and poet * Merle Karusoo (born 1944), Estonian stage director and writer * Merle Keagle (1923–1960), American baseball player *

Merle G. Kearns Merle Grace Kearns (May 19, 1938 – August 9, 2014) was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She represented the 72nd House District and served as majority leader in the 126th General Assembly. Prior to her stint in the Ohio House, K ...

(1938–2014), American politician *

Merle Kivimets Merle Kivimets (married name Bastien; born 21 July 1974) is an Estonian athletics competitor. She was born in Kose-Uuemõisa Kose-Uuemõisa (german: Neuenhof) is a small borough (') in Kose Parish, Harju County in northern Estonia. Kose-Uuemõ ...

(born 1974), Estonian track and field athlete * Merle Krigul (born 1954), Estonian philologist and politician *

Merle Louise Merle Louise (born Merle Louise Letowt, April 15, 1934) is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as " The Beggar Woman" in ''Sweeney Todd''. Broadway and Sondheim Early in her career, (wh ...

(born 1934), American Broadway actress * Merle Oberon (1911–1979), Indo-English actress * Merle Palmiste (born 1970), Estonian actress * Merle Park (born 1937), British prima ballerina *

Merle Richardson Merle Erica Richardson (born 1930 in New South Wales) is a former international lawn bowls competitor for Australia. Bowls career World Championships Richardson won the fours and team event gold medals at the 1977 World Outdoor Bowls Champion ...

(born 1930), Australian lawn bowls player *

Merle Soppela Merle Soppela (born 1991) is a retired Finnish alpine ski racer. She competed at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek, USA, in the giant slalom Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves s ...

(born 1991), Finnish alpine ski racer *

Merle Talvik Merle Talvik (born 6 June 1954) is an Estonian stage, film and television actress whose career began in the mid-1970s. Early life and education Merle Talvik was born in Tallinn to Herbert and Asta Talvik (''née'' Tomson). She attended primary an ...

(born 1954), Estonian actress *

Merle Temkin Merle Temkin is a New York City-based painter, sculptor and installation artist, known for vibrant, abstracted paintings based on her own enlarged fingerprint, and earlier site-specific, mirrored installations of the 1980s. Her work has often in ...

(born 1937), American artist * Merle Tottenham (1901–1958), English film actress *

Merle Viirmaa Merle Viirmaa (born 15 June 1974) is a retired Estonian biathlete. She competed in the women's relay event at the 1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vint ...

(born 1974), Estonian biathlete * Merle Woo (born 1941), American academic and activist

Male

* Merle Allin (born 1953), American punk rock musician * Merle Anthony (1926–1993), American baseball umpire *

Merle Battiste Merle A. Battiste (July 22, 1933 – August 8, 2009) was an American chemist and emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Florida. Early life and education Battiste was born on July 22, 1933, in Mobile, Alabama. His parents were Da ...

(1933–2009), American chemist *

Merle Bettenhausen Merle Bettenhausen (born June 9, 1943) is a former American race car driver. The second oldest member of the Bettenhausen racing family, he is the son of Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of Gary Bettenhausen and Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Merle's US ...

(born 1943), American race car driver * Merle Boucher (born 1946), American politician *

Merle Boyer Merle Newport Boyer (9 May 1920 – 29 Aug 2009) was an American modernist studio Art jewelry, art jeweler and Sculpture, sculptor, as well as inventor, machinist, teacher and Mentorship, mentor. Life Boyer was born in Portland, Oregon, Portlan ...

(1920–2009), American jewelry designer * Merle Curti (1897–1997), American historian and Pulitzer Prize winner * Merle Dickerson (1911/12–1984), Canadian politician *

Merle Evans Merle Slease Evans (December 26, 1891December 31, 1987) was a cornet player and circus band conductor who conducted the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for fifty years. He was known as the "Toscanini of the Big Top." Evans was inducted i ...

(1891–1987), American cornet player and circus bandleader * Merle Fainsod (1907–1972), American political scientist *

Merle Flowers Merle Flowers (born October 20, 1968) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Mississippi. A member of the Republican Party, Flowers served in the Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of th ...

(born 1968), American politician *

Merle Gulick Merle Gulick (June 19, 1906 – August 30, 1976) was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965. Gulick attended Maumee High School and Toledo University before moving on to attend Hobart Colle ...

(1906–1976), American football player * Merle Haggard (1937–2016), American country-western musician *

Merle Hansen Merle Hansen (November 11, 1919 – March 27, 2009) was the founding president of the North American Farm Alliance and a spokesman for the plight of family farmers. Background Merle Elwin Hansen was born on his family's farmstead north of N ...

(1919–2009), American farm activist * Merle Harmon (1926–2009), American sportscaster * Merle Hay (1896–1917), American Army soldier, first U.S. soldier to be killed in WWI *

Merle J. Isaac Merle John Isaac (October 12, 1898 – March 11, 1996) was an American composer and prolific arranger who focused on arranging famous pieces for performers of lower experience, especially school orchestras. Music and recognition After graduatin ...

(1898–1996), American composer * Merle Kilgore (1934–2005), American singer, songwriter and manager * Merle Lawrence (1915–2007), American physiologist * Merle Randall (1888–1950), American physical chemist *

Merle Robbins Merle Robbins (September 12, 1911 – January 14, 1984) was an American barber from Reading, Ohio who invented the card game UNO. In 1971, he invented UNO to resolve an argument with his son Ray, a teacher, about the rules of Crazy Eights. ...

(c. 1912–1984), businessman, inventor of the card game UNO * Merle Sande (1939–2007), American physician *

Merle Schlosser Merle Schlosser (born October 17, 1926) is an American former college football player and coach. He played football at the end position for the University of Illinois from 1948 to 1949. After graduating from Illinois, Schlosser was an assistant f ...

(born 1926), American football player and coach *

Merle Settlemire Edgar Merle Settlemire (January 19, 1903 – June 12, 1988) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. A left-handed pitcher, he appeared in 30 games in Major League Baseball for the 1928 Boston Red Sox. He was listed as ta ...

(1903–1988), American baseball player *

Merle Shain Merle Shain (1935–1989)
at

Merle Taylor (1927–1987), American bluegrass musician * Merle Travis (1917–1983), American country music singer * Merle Tuve (1901–1982), American geophysicist * Merle Watson (1945–1985), American folk musician * Merle Leland Youngs (1886–1958), American businessman

Fictional characters

* Merle Dixon, in AMC's TV series ''The Walking Dead'' *Merle, a character in ''The Vision of Escaflowne'', a 1996 anime series *Merle Hitower Highchurch, in the Maximum Fun podcast ''

The Adventure Zone ''The Adventure Zone'' is a weekly comedy and adventure actual play podcast based loosely upon the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' game series, along with other role-playing games. The show is distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by bro ...

'' *Merle Johnson, in '' The Godfather Part II'' *Merle Tucker, father of Cameron Tucker in '' Modern Family''

References

{{Given name, Merle Estonian feminine given names English feminine given names English masculine given names English unisex given names