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It reminds me of the show Merlin. Although I adore it, I wouldn't use it. Personally, I think Marlon is better.

I love Merlin. I had it on my list for ages. I think it works well as a fun, whimsical middle.

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As a first name I wouldn't say it's unusable but it would be quite an adventurous choice!

This message was edited 6/24/2013, 11:49 AM

I went to school with a girl named Merlijn (= Dutch for Merlin). At first everyone thought of the wizard, but before long we got used to it and it was fine.

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I'd say it's usable, because it's not all that far from more 'normal' names, so I think people will get used to it pretty quickly.

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I prefer it as a boys' name though.

No, it's too associated with the wizard.

Yes, and I know one. His sister and my mom were roommates when they were in tech school.

I was at school with a girl Merlin, whom I hardly knew. I generously assumed that it was probably somebody's dreadful misunderstanding of Marilyn - which is pretty dire in itself - but I never asked.

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On her? It worked well enough. She was a party animal, more hormones than homework.

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On a boy? Very ... ambitious. To be avoided. It's an invitation to juvenile humour.

Not really useable IMO. It's too fantastical for me and a lot for a small child to have! Weird, because Arthur is perfectly acceptable!

No. It's way too GP. The association is far too strong. I think it would be adorable on a little dog, though.

Yeah. I like it, but not everybody could pull it off.
I named one of my cat's kittens Merlin. XD
It's definitely usable as a middle name on a human, but as a first name it only fits a small amount of people.

I don't think it works. I think that it is too strongly associated with Kind Arthur's wizard friend to work as a name today.

I actually saw it in a British BA recently and I know a white Golden Retriever named Merlin. I like the name, but it's a bit too much for a real-life baby, imo. Emrys is a favorite though.

This message was edited 6/23/2013, 3:12 PM

The only real Merlin I know of is a chihuahua ... But yes, I guess it could work for a human as well.

It always makes me think of fish - I guess because of "Marlin" fish. On a human being, I can only imagine it on an old man or a female. It sounds a bit feminine to me.

I had such a huge crush on this name a while ago! And while I have Arthur and Guinevere on my list, I took Merlin of after a couple of days and stuck it in the same category as Rudolph - which is "If I ever become famous..."
For an "normal" baby, no. I don't think it works.

Yes. I like it as a name, the nickname Lin is cute.
It might be a tad too Arthurian though, so if you really like it, use it as a mn.

I think Merlin works well as a name.

It works for a horse. For a person, it sounds silly.