girl's name
Muriel
MYOOR-ee-el
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 127,001
Ireland
#583
1984 births
Muriel means bright sea, from Gaelic, and it reached English twice — once through Irish and Scottish settlement and once through Breton, carried back across the Channel by the Normans. It holds 126,901 lifetime births in our records.
- Muriel is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in France in 1964, when 3,520 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1902.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Muriel over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 10 |
| 1920s | 50 |
| 1930s | 110 |
| 1940s | 1,375 |
| 1950s | 14,590 |
| 1960s | 30,950 |
| 1970s | 18,580 |
| 1980s | 4,380 |
| 1990s | 750 |
| 2000s | 140 |
| 2010s | 50 |
| 2020s (to 2024) | 10 |
What Muriel means
Muriel means bright sea, or shining sea. The Celtic joins the word for the sea to one meaning bright, so both halves describe water catching light.
Where Muriel comes from
Muriel is the Irish and Scottish Muirgel — muir, the sea, joined to gel, bright or white. The muir element is the same in Murray, Muriel and the Irish Muirgheas, and it is cognate with the Latin mare and the English mere. Brittany carried a parallel form, and the Normans brought that one to England after the Conquest, so the name arrived on two routes about a century apart. Muriel Spark is its best-known modern bearer.
Muriel in use
Muriel peaked in France in 1964, when 3,520 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 4420th in the United States on 32 births, across 127,001 lifetime births. A Gaelic name whose largest peak is French and whose only surviving chart position is American is an unusual trajectory even by the standards of this dataset.
How popular is Muriel?
In 2024, Muriel was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Muriel is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Muriel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Muriel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Muriel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Muriel in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Muriel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Muriel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Muriel
What does the name Muriel mean?
Bright sea — the Gaelic muir, sea, joined to gel, bright.
How did Muriel reach English?
Twice — through Irish and Scottish settlement, and again through Breton with the Normans.
Is Muriel related to Murray?
In its first element — muir, the sea, which is cognate with the Latin mare.
How popular is Muriel?
4420th in the United States, the only market where it now charts.
Is Muriel a girl's or a boy's name?
Muriel is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Muriel?
Muriel has 3 syllables.
Is Muriel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Muriel currently ranks #2,195 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.