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I've only heard Merle as a guy's name, sorry. All I can think of is Merle Haggard.

This message was edited 7/9/2011, 9:01 PM

I've only ever heard it as a guy's name, sorry. All I can think of is Merle Haggard.

My chief association is Merle Haggard, so it's more than just masculine. It's bearded, grizzled, and old.

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I can tolerate Merle Vivien and Merle Sophia, but I don't like them. Swapping Meryl or Beryl for Merle would improve all of these combos.

Yay Merle! I used to know an Emily who sometimes went by Merly, so in my mind it's a halfway between Emily and Muriel. And that is just about perfect.
I had no idea it was used as a male name too. Fancy that.

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Most appealing:
Merle Dorothy
Merle Edith
Merle Imogen
Merle Susanna

Merle is in the top 80 for girls in my neck of the woods while it's virtually unheard of as a boys' name. So I have to admit, to me, Merle is about as feminine as they come ;-)
We use a disyllabic (is that the word? Well, two syllables) pronunciation here, but I imagine you pronounce it as "murl"?

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I like

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Merle Agatha - I love Agatha
Merle Cecily
Merle Clothilde
Merle Dorothea
Merle Dorothy
Merle Eugenie
Merle Euphemia
Merle Frances
Merle Genevieve
Merle Imogen
Merle Ingrid
Merle Ione - How do you pronounce Ione? In combination with Merle, I only like it pronounced as IE-o-nee
Merle Jemima
Merle Jocosa
Merle Johanna
Merle Josephine
Merle Magdalen / Magdalene - How do you pronounce Magdalen: MAG-da-len or MAUD-lin?
Merle Mathilde
Merle Ottilie
Merle Ottoline

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This message was edited 7/9/2011, 4:08 PM

I don't like it. The sound is unattractive. Murl. It's murky. Merle looks sprightly but is also a little too close to merde for my comfort.
Incidentally, I love almost every name you've paired it with. Leopoldine is really something, unfortunately the -le of Merle and the Le- of Leopoldine are too similar for them to work together.
I especially like:
Merle Beatrix
Merle Clementine
Merle Eugenie
Merle Eurydice
Merle Frances
Merle Godelieve - Godelieve!! I am so happy to see it
Merle Ianthe
Merle Inez
Merle Josephine
Merle Magdalen
Merle Magnolia
Merle Marguerite
Merle Octavia
Merle Ottoline
Merle Philomena
Merle Primrose
Merle Rosemonde
Merle Violetta - Merle Violette would be even better

I think it's feminine, but I don't care for it either way.

Merle reminds me of Merle Haggard, but it sounds too feminine to be a boys' name. It's kind of in that limbo for me where it sounds too feminine for a boy but too masculine for a girl. I have never liked it-- it's in the same league as Mavis and Myrtle in my mind-- grandma names with lovely meanings, but just sound ugly.

I know a Merle, who's a guy, so my association is masculine. Overall, I prefer Merlin. Also know a young man who wears Merlin easily and well.

I enjoy Merle, but prefer Meryl. My go-to Merle combo is Merle Vivienne

I think I've only encountered it on this forum, on some rare occasions. But I find it very masculine. I don't really know what to make of it honestly... Since I have started writing this I have kept pronouncing it in my head and as I am getting more used to it I find it prettier, but I still can't say I love it.
When I pronounce it in French I imagine a little boy from the Middle Ages (probably because it reminds me of Merlin), like a little page, a bit mischievous. When I say it in English I do find it more feminine, but then the spelling disturbs me. I get what you mean by liking its simplicity and restraint but in this style I much prefer names such as Nell, or Fern.

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Merle Agatha - Agatha Merle would be even better
Merle Edith - They sound good together. I want to say it like a hyphenated name, almost like a version of Meredith, Merle-Edith (Merl'Edith? haha, I like that)
Merle Frances
Merle Josephine
Merle Juliet
Merle Madeleine
Merle Odette
Merle Primrose

I think it's off the charts in its ugliness, but if I had to choose one of your combos, I'd go with Merle Josephine. Josephine's stateliness offsets the nasal dowdiness of Merle. I really don't like any names with the "er" sound (except Peter). The nasality of it is just so demeaning.