Fun Facts About the Name Myrtle
- An established favorite: Myrtle held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 46 consecutive years, from 1880 through 1925.
- More than 136 thousand babies named Myrtle: U.S. records list 136,984 babies given the name Myrtle from 1880 through 2025. Even 498 boys received the name Myrtle - about 1 boy for every 274 girls.
What Does the Name Myrtle Mean?
Myrtle is an English feminine given name taken from the myrtle plant, an aromatic evergreen shrub. The plant name comes from Latin myrtus, borrowed from Greek myrtos (μύρτος). The ultimate origin of the Greek word is uncertain; it may come from a pre-Greek Mediterranean language, and some scholars have suggested a Semitic source, but no derivation is universally accepted. The name's literal meaning is the plant name itself. In classical culture the myrtle was associated with Aphrodite and Venus and used in wreaths and perfumes, but those are symbolic associations rather than part of the etymology. The Hebrew name Hadassah also means myrtle, but it is a separate name and not the source of English Myrtle.
Myrtle Name History & Origins
The English word myrtle came through Old French from Latin myrtus, which in turn came from Greek myrtos. The shrub Myrtus communis was cultivated in the Mediterranean region; its leaves and berries were used in perfumes and medicines, and myrtle wreaths were connected with Aphrodite and Venus. As a personal name, Myrtle belongs to the English fashion for flower and plant names, alongside Rose, Lily, and Violet, and it was used as a feminine given name in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It appears later in literature, including as Myrtle Wilson in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) and as Moaning Myrtle in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series; these are literary uses, not the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Myrtle?
Myrtle remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1880 to 1925. Its highest annual birth count was in 1918, and people born that year turn 108 in 2026.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,611 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #14,617 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #14,770 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #8,950 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #18,043 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #11,652 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #18,446 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #15,836 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #13,217 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #10,236 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #9,303 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #9,354 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #11,381 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #12,829 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,104 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #9,860 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #8,512 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #9,996 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,833 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #5,122 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #6,786 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #4,653 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1983 | #5,052 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #3,498 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1981 | #4,278 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1980 | #3,185 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1979 | #3,627 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #3,459 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1977 | #2,756 | 30 | 0.0020% |
| 1976 | #2,840 | 27 | 0.0018% |
| 1975 | #2,121 | 41 | 0.0028% |
| 1974 | #2,330 | 34 | 0.0023% |
| 1973 | #2,209 | 36 | 0.0025% |
| 1972 | #2,120 | 37 | 0.0024% |
| 1971 | #1,634 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 1970 | #1,795 | 50 | 0.0029% |
| 1969 | #1,366 | 71 | 0.0042% |
| 1968 | #1,286 | 74 | 0.0045% |
| 1967 | #1,153 | 85 | 0.0051% |
| 1966 | #1,133 | 88 | 0.0052% |
| 1965 | #947 | 117 | 0.0066% |
| 1964 | #998 | 115 | 0.0061% |
| 1963 | #1,020 | 110 | 0.0057% |
| 1962 | #873 | 145 | 0.0074% |
| 1961 | #768 | 186 | 0.0092% |
| 1960 | #772 | 175 | 0.0087% |
| 1959 | #754 | 182 | 0.0090% |
| 1958 | #706 | 196 | 0.0097% |
| 1957 | #649 | 229 | 0.0112% |
| 1956 | #590 | 257 | 0.0128% |
| 1955 | #520 | 316 | 0.0162% |
| 1954 | #490 | 325 | 0.0167% |
| 1953 | #442 | 378 | 0.0201% |
| 1952 | #450 | 366 | 0.0197% |
| 1951 | #418 | 397 | 0.0220% |
| 1950 | #376 | 460 | 0.0269% |
| 1949 | #339 | 523 | 0.0306% |
| 1948 | #336 | 537 | 0.0316% |
| 1947 | #320 | 596 | 0.0336% |
| 1946 | #308 | 571 | 0.0363% |
| 1945 | #277 | 621 | 0.0475% |
| 1944 | #262 | 686 | 0.0517% |
| 1943 | #232 | 843 | 0.0604% |
| 1942 | #218 | 911 | 0.0674% |
| 1941 | #194 | 966 | 0.0800% |
| 1940 | #184 | 1,020 | 0.0892% |
| 1939 | #179 | 1,063 | 0.0969% |
| 1938 | #181 | 1,116 | 0.1011% |
| 1937 | #169 | 1,193 | 0.1121% |
| 1936 | #160 | 1,240 | 0.1192% |
| 1935 | #153 | 1,312 | 0.1251% |
| 1934 | #141 | 1,435 | 0.1374% |
| 1933 | #142 | 1,398 | 0.1387% |
| 1932 | #135 | 1,669 | 0.1564% |
| 1931 | #134 | 1,711 | 0.1607% |
| 1930 | #123 | 1,997 | 0.1774% |
| 1929 | #117 | 2,126 | 0.1904% |
| 1928 | #116 | 2,243 | 0.1945% |
| 1927 | #110 | 2,550 | 0.2138% |
| 1926 | #101 | 2,756 | 0.2325% |
| 1925 | #95 | 2,980 | 0.2448% |
| 1924 | #89 | 3,205 | 0.2566% |
| 1923 | #84 | 3,314 | 0.2747% |
| 1922 | #75 | 3,649 | 0.3038% |
| 1921 | #73 | 3,791 | 0.3074% |
| 1920 | #68 | 3,955 | 0.3301% |
| 1919 | #67 | 3,816 | 0.3377% |
| 1918 | #62 | 4,076 | 0.3521% |
| 1917 | #58 | 4,046 | 0.3742% |
| 1916 | #58 | 3,960 | 0.3792% |
| 1915 | #58 | 3,865 | 0.3928% |
| 1914 | #60 | 3,049 | 0.4004% |
| 1913 | #53 | 2,843 | 0.4552% |
| 1912 | #50 | 2,599 | 0.4657% |
| 1911 | #50 | 2,033 | 0.4860% |
| 1910 | #43 | 2,145 | 0.5410% |
| 1909 | #43 | 1,950 | 0.5616% |
| 1908 | #44 | 1,952 | 0.5839% |
| 1907 | #39 | 1,929 | 0.6055% |
| 1906 | #37 | 1,921 | 0.6505% |
| 1905 | #33 | 2,026 | 0.6947% |
| 1904 | #34 | 1,905 | 0.6918% |
| 1903 | #30 | 1,980 | 0.7558% |
| 1902 | #32 | 1,884 | 0.7134% |
| 1901 | #28 | 1,892 | 0.7905% |
| 1900 | #32 | 2,252 | 0.7512% |
| 1899 | #30 | 1,821 | 0.7815% |
| 1898 | #30 | 2,090 | 0.8077% |
| 1897 | #29 | 1,833 | 0.7827% |
| 1896 | #30 | 1,928 | 0.8104% |
| 1895 | #28 | 1,938 | 0.8295% |
| 1894 | #27 | 1,818 | 0.8155% |
| 1893 | #29 | 1,759 | 0.8262% |
| 1892 | #32 | 1,666 | 0.7846% |
| 1891 | #31 | 1,458 | 0.7861% |
| 1890 | #34 | 1,406 | 0.7385% |
| 1889 | #33 | 1,361 | 0.7630% |
| 1888 | #35 | 1,310 | 0.7334% |
| 1887 | #36 | 1,087 | 0.7446% |
| 1886 | #35 | 1,094 | 0.7569% |
| 1885 | #34 | 1,026 | 0.7711% |
| 1884 | #34 | 979 | 0.7588% |
| 1883 | #37 | 851 | 0.7576% |
| 1882 | #38 | 803 | 0.7446% |
| 1881 | #37 | 643 | 0.6993% |
| 1880 | #40 | 615 | 0.6759% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | #3,888 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,851 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,797 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #3,077 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1937 | #2,426 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1936 | #2,405 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1935 | #3,163 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #2,887 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #4,003 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #2,418 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #1,815 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1930 | #2,037 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1929 | #3,826 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #2,020 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #2,844 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #2,160 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #3,071 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1924 | #3,180 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1923 | #3,099 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #4,165 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #2,338 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1920 | #3,402 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #2,810 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1918 | #1,879 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,878 | 17 | 0.0018% |
| 1916 | #2,117 | 14 | 0.0016% |
| 1915 | #1,493 | 22 | 0.0026% |
| 1914 | #2,581 | 8 | 0.0012% |
| 1913 | #2,211 | 8 | 0.0016% |
| 1912 | #2,792 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1911 | #1,353 | 8 | 0.0035% |
| 1910 | #1,383 | 7 | 0.0036% |
| 1909 | #1,625 | 5 | 0.0030% |
| 1908 | #1,185 | 7 | 0.0045% |
| 1907 | #1,171 | 7 | 0.0048% |
| 1906 | #1,081 | 7 | 0.0053% |
| 1904 | #1,166 | 6 | 0.0047% |
| 1903 | #608 | 14 | 0.0117% |
| 1902 | #844 | 9 | 0.0073% |
| 1901 | #761 | 9 | 0.0085% |
| 1899 | #915 | 7 | 0.0066% |
| 1898 | #963 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1896 | #620 | 13 | 0.0109% |
| 1895 | #633 | 12 | 0.0102% |
| 1894 | #1,043 | 6 | 0.0052% |
| 1893 | #811 | 8 | 0.0071% |
| 1892 | #1,200 | 5 | 0.0041% |
| 1891 | #924 | 6 | 0.0059% |
| 1890 | #1,110 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1889 | #656 | 10 | 0.0090% |
| 1887 | #804 | 7 | 0.0069% |
| 1886 | #740 | 8 | 0.0072% |
| 1885 | #1,043 | 5 | 0.0046% |
| 1884 | #933 | 6 | 0.0052% |
| 1880 | #1,018 | 5 | 0.0045% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Myrtle
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Myrtle Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Myrtle's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Myrtle's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.