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Merrilee
How to Pronounce Merrilee
Pronounced MERR-ih-lee /ˈmɛr.ɪ.li/Medium
Meaning: Merrilee is a form of Marilee or Merrily, blending Mary — from Hebrew, variously 'beloved' or 'bitter' — or the cheerful English word merry, with Lee, from Old English leah, 'meadow, clearing.' It reads brightly as 'merry meadow' or as a Mary-Lee compound.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Merrilee is a variant of Marilee and Merrily, joining Mary — or the word merry — with Lee, from Old English leah, 'meadow.' The pairing produces a cheerful compound that reads at once as a name and as the adverb merrily, part of the era's love of Lee-ending double names.
It appeared from the nineteen-twenties, peaked around 1942, and continued at low levels into the twenty-twenties. A Merrilee from the peak is a senior today; the name keeps a bright, mid-century warmth rather than reading as a current pick.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Merrilee mean?
Merrilee blends Mary or the word 'merry' with Lee, 'meadow'; it reads brightly as a 'merry meadow' compound.
How do you pronounce Merrilee?
It's said MERR-ih-lee /ˈmɛr.ɪ.li/ — three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Merrilee a boy or girl name?
Merrilee is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Merrilee?
Merrilee was an uncommon compound that peaked in the early nineteen-forties and has been rare since.