Girl · Irish
Myrna
Say it: MUR-nuh
Meaning
Probably an anglicized form of Irish Muirne, connected with muirn 'affection, high spirits'; the evidence is thin.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Became popular in the US with actress Myrna Loy in the 1930s.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1930s
In the United States
- 31,699 babies given this name since 1885
- At its height in 1938, about 1 in 613 girls
- 17 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Merna, Mirna
Famous bearers
- Myrna Loy, American actress
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.