Muriel is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

Origin/history

The name is of

Goidelic The Goidelic ( ) or Gaelic languages (; ; ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle o ...

origin and was originally spelled as ''Muirgheal'' (''muir'' "sea", ''gheal'' "bright") in Irish and ''Muireall'' in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

. Various versions have long been evident in

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

, Irish, and

languages. The name was very common in medieval England, typically in the form of "Merial". Unusually for a name of Celtic origin, it remained common after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

, although rare from about 1300. Remaining common in Scotland as Muriel, the name in this form was introduced back into England in the mid-19th century, facilitated by

Dinah Craik Dinah Maria Craik (; born Dinah Maria Mulock, often credited as Miss Mulock or Mrs. Craik; 20 April 1826 – 12 October 1887) was an English novelist and poet. She is best remembered for her novel, '' John Halifax, Gentleman'', which presents ...

's 1856 novel '' John Halifax, Gentleman'' whose title character's daughter is named Muriel. Born in 1802, Muriel is said to be named "after the rather peculiar name of John's mother." The name Meryl may be a variant of Muriel. The name Muriel was listed in the top 200 names from 1912 to 1933, with its highest rate of popularity in the 1920s. Since that time, use of the name has declined and is now rare.

People with the given name

* Muriel Anderson (born 1960), American guitarist *

Muriel Angelus Muriel Angelus ( Findlay; 10 March 1912 – 26 June 2004) was an English stage, musical theatre, and film actress. Early life The daughter of a chemist, young Muriel was educated at the Ursuline Convent in London. At age 12, she acted in a ...

(1912–2004), British actress * Muriel Bamblett, advocate for Aboriginal child welfare in Victoria and Australia * Muriel Barbery (born 1969), Moroccan-born French novelist * Muriel Beaumont (1881–1957), British actress * Muriel Bell (1898–1974), New Zealand nutritionist and researcher *

Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the current mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously represented th ...

(born 1972), mayor of the District of Columbia *

Muriel Box Violette Muriel Box, Baroness Gardiner, (22 September 1905 – 18 May 1991) was an English screenwriter and director, Britain's most prolific female director, having directed 12 feature films and one featurette. Her screenplay for '' The Sevent ...

(1905–1991), British screenwriter and film director * Muriel Brandolini, French-Vietnamese interior designer * Muriel Broadbent ( Edith Hacon) (1875–1952), British socialite, suffragist, WWI women's hospital volunteer * Muriel Brunskill (1899–1980), British contralto * Muriel Casals i Couturier (1945–2016), French-born Catalan economist * Muriel Cooper (1925–1994), American artist and designer * Muriel Davisson, American neuroscientist * Muriel Day (born 1942), Irish singer * Muriel Duckworth (1908–2009), Canadian activist *

Muriel Evans Muriel Evans (born Muriel Adele Evanson; July 20, 1910 – October 26, 2000) was an American film actress. She is best known for her many appearances in popular Western (genre), westerns of the 1930s for which she won a Golden Boot Awards, ...

(1910–2000), American actress * Muriel Fox (born 1928), American public relations executive and feminist activist * Muriel Forbes (1894–1991), British politician * Muriel Glauert (1892–1949), British mathematician *

Muriel Gray Muriel Janet Gray FRSE (born 30 August 1958) is a Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist. She came to public notice as an interviewer on Channel 4's alternative pop-show ''The Tube'', and then appeared as a regular presenter on BBC radio. ...

(born 1958), Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist * Muriel Gustavo Becker (born 1987), Brazilian male footballer * Muriel Hind (1882–1956), pioneering British motorcyclist and motorist described as "the first woman motorcyclist in England" * Muriel Humphrey Brown (1912–1998), American "second lady", political wife and activist; briefly, a U.S. Senator * Muriel Jones (1890–1974), South African dancer and philanthropist * Muriel Kovitz (1926–2021), Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Calgary * Muriel Lamb (1911–2010), New Zealand architect * Muriel Langford (1913–2003), British/Australian missionary, linguist *

Muriel Lanchester Muriel Lanchester (28 October 1902 - 11 October 1992) was a British ceramicist and co-founder of the puppet theatre company, the '' Lanchester Marionettes''. Lanchester and her husband, Waldo were the first British people to appear on French t ...

(1902–1992), British puppeteer * Muriel Lloyd Prichard (1905–1991), British academic, economist, and writer * Muriel Matters (1877–1969), Australian-born British suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist * Muriel Miguel (born 1937), Native American theatre director and choreographer * Muriel Millard (1922–2014), Canadian actress, dancer, painter, singer-songwriter * Muriel Moody (1907–1991), New Zealand ceramic artist *

Muriel Nissel Muriel Nissel (née Griffiths; 30 January 1921 – 2010) was a British statistician and civil servant. Together with Claus Moser, she created "a national survey analysing trends in social welfare", that was to become '' Social Trends'', first pu ...

(1921–2010), British statistician and civil servant * Lady Muriel Paget (1876–1938), English aristocrat, humanitarian, and relief organiser *

Muriel Pavlow Muriel Lilian Pavlow (27 June 1921 – 19 January 2019) was a British actress. Her mother was French and her father Russian. Early life Muriel was born in Lewisham, south-east London, to Boris Pavlov, a Russian émigré and salesman, and his ...

(1921–2019), British actress * Muriel Robinson (born 1954), British academic administrator and education scholar *

Muriel Rukeyser Muriel Rukeyser (December 15, 1913 – February 12, 1980) was an American poet, essayist, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and political activist. She wrote across genres and forms, addressing issues related to racial, gender and class justice ...

(1913–1980), American poet and political activist *

Muriel Smith (politician) Muriel Ann Smith, OC ( Lipsey; May 9, 1930) is a Manitoba politician. She ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba in 1979, and subsequently served in the cabinet of NDP Premier Howard Pawley. Smith is the daughter of Geo ...

(born 1930), Canadian politician from Manitoba * Muriel Smith (singer) (1923–1985), American mezzo-soprano *

Muriel Spark Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Life Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernar ...

(1918–2006), Scottish novelist * Muriel the Poetess (11th century), poet at

Wilton Abbey Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles west of Salisbury, probably on the site now occupied by Wilton House. It was active from the early tenth century until 1539. History Foundation Wilton Abbey is first re ...

* Muriel Thomasset (born 1971), French physicist specializing in optics * Muriel Thompson (1875–1939), Scottish World War I ambulance driver, racing driver and suffragist * Muriel Villanueva i Perarnau (born 1976), Spanish writer * Muriel Watt (1917–2005), New Zealand landscape architect * Muriel Window (1892–1965), American singer, Ziegfeld Girl, pilot, restaurant owner * Muriel Young (1923–2001), English television continuity announcer, presenter and producer

Fictional characters

* Muriel (''Animal Farm''), a goat in George Orwell's novel ''Animal Farm'' * Muriel, the main antagonist in the 2013 film '' Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'' * Muriel, hotel maid who was a recurring character in the family sitcom ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' * Muriel, a naïve junior angel, in series 2 of the fantasy-comedy series ''

Good Omens ''Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch'' is a 1990 novel written by the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The novel is a comedy about the birth of the son of Satan and the coming of the End Times. ...

'' * Muriel, an angel, the youngest brother of angels Lucifer Morningstar and Uriel in the Fox TV series''

Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...

'' * Muriel Bagge, one of the main characters in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' * Chandler Muriel Bing, one of the male lead roles in the US TV sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004) * Muriel P. Finster in the animated series '' Recess'' * Muriel Glass in

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger ( ; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel '' The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger published several short stories in '' Story'' magazine in 1940, before serving in World Wa ...

's short story " A Perfect Day for Bananafish" * Muriel Goldman, a supporting character in the series ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' * Muriel Hardwicke, the main antagonist of Eva Ibbotson's 1981 historical romance '' A Countess Below Stairs'' * Muriel Heslop, lead character in the 1994 Australian film ''

Muriel's Wedding ''Muriel's Wedding'' is a 1994 comedy-drama film written and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Bill Hunter and Rachel Griffiths, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding ...

'' * Muriel McComber, teenage lead role in the Eugene O'Neill play '' Ah, Wilderness!'' (1933) * Lady Muriel Orme, one of the main characters in Lewis Carroll's ''

Sylvie and Bruno ''Sylvie and Bruno'', first published in 1889, and its second volume ''Sylvie and Bruno Concluded'' published in 1893, form the last novel by Lewis Carroll published during his lifetime. Both volumes were illustrated by Harry Furniss. The nove ...

'' novels * Muriel Pritchett, character in the Anne Tyler novel '' The Accidental Tourist'' (1985) * Muriel Rush, female lead role in the sitcom ''

Too Close for Comfort ''Too Close for Comfort'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to ''The Ted Knight Show'' ...

'' * Muriel Stacy, Anne's teacher in

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

* Muriel Taggert, the villain of the first '' Fablehaven'' book * Muriel Prewett, great-aunt of Ron Weasley in ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the seventh and final novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publish ...

'' (2009) *Muriel Alison Goldberg Schwartz, daughter of Erica Goldberg Schwartz and Geoffrey Schwartz in '' The Goldbergs'' (2022)

References

{{Given name, Muriel English-language feminine given names Feminine given names English feminine given names Irish feminine given names Scottish feminine given names

Origin/history

People with the given name

Fictional characters

See also

References