Explore the Family Name Merle

The meaning of Merle

1. French, English (of Norman origin), German, and Dutch: nickname, possibly for a good or habitual singer or whistler, from Old French, Middle High German merle ‘blackbird’ (from Latin merula). See also Italian and Spanish Merlo. 2. French: habitational name from (Le) Merle, the name of several places in various parts of France. 3. English: variant of Marle, a topographic name from Middle English marle ‘marl’ (Old French marle), i.e. clay mixed with calcium carbonate, often spread as a fertilizer on sandy soils. Compare Marler. 4. German; Dutch (also Van Merle): habitational name, possibly referring to the watername Merle or to any of the places called Merle, Marle, or Maarle (e.g. in Overijssel). 5. Croatian and Slovenian: nickname derived from an old spelling of Croatian dialect and Slovenian mrleti ‘to languish’. In North America, this surname is probably also an altered form of the variant Mrle. In Slovenia, both forms are very rare today. Some characteristic forenames: French Pierre, Etienne, Henri, Jean-Paul.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.