Myrtle
Myrtle was the 11611th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1894, when it ranked 27th; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,076). More babies were named Myrtle in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning myrtle (plant) · English, Latin, Greek
Say it MUR-tul /ˈmɝtəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #11,611 girls
- Babies in 2025
- 8girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19184,076 babies
- Total since 1880
- 136,984babies recorded
What does the name Myrtle mean?
Myrtle is the name of the evergreen shrub, used as a girls' name since the end of the 19th century, as Wiktionary notes. The word comes from Latin myrtus and Greek myrtos. The myrtle was sacred to Venus (Aphrodite) and a symbol of love; in the Bible it is Hebrew hadas, the root of the name Hadassah (Esther). Myrtle was very common in the US around 1900.
myrtus (Latin, “myrtle”)μύρτος (myrtos) (Ancient Greek, “myrtle”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Myrtie, Hadassah.
See also: English names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Myrtle', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'myrtle' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Myrtle
The usual nicknames for Myrtle are Myrt.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myrt | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Myrtles go by each one.
Myrtle popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 498 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,611 | 8 |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #9,860 | 8 |
| 1980 | #3,184 | 27 |
| 1970 | #1,795 | 50 |
| 1960 | #772 | 175 |
| 1950 | #376 | 460 |
| 1940 | #184 | 1,020 |
| 1930 | #123 | 1,997 |
| 1920 | #68 | 3,955 |
| 1910 | #43 | 2,145 |
| 1900 | #32 | 2,252 |
| 1890 | #34 | 1,406 |
| 1880 | #40 | 615 |
How popular is Myrtle, counting every spelling?
Myrtle has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Myrtle?
8 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Myrtle (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Myrtle born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,057 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Myrtle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Myrtle?
About 11,200 people born in the US named Myrtle are alive today, with a median age of 81; half are between 72 and 88. That makes Myrtle a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Myrtle by state
How common Myrtle was among girls born in each state in 1916–1920, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (2.5×), Kentucky (2.0×), North Carolina (1.9×), Louisiana (1.9×), Minnesota (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Myrtle: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Myrtle, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Myrtle
What does Myrtle mean?
Myrtle means “myrtle (plant)” (English, Latin, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Myrtle?
Myrtle was the 11611th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1894, when it ranked 27th; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,076). More babies were named Myrtle in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Myrtle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Myrtle in the US.
Where was Myrtle most popular?
In 1916–1920, Myrtle was most common in North Dakota (8.87 per 1,000 girls), followed by Kentucky and North Carolina.