Merrilee

Meaning of Merrilee

Merrilee, a feminine appellation of Anglo-American provenance, derives from the morphological fusion of Mary—a Hebrew-origin theonym—and the Old English lee (lēah), denoting “meadow” or “clearing.” Its structural composition adheres to compound naming patterns prevalent in medieval England and later perpetuated within North American onomastic traditions. Phonetically, Merrilee is transcribed in standard English as /mɛriːˈliː/, accommodating both British and American articulatory norms. An analytical review of Minnesota birth registrations between 1946 and 1955 reveals a modest yet consistent presence, with a zenith of nine recorded instances (rank 141) in 1953 and a maintenance of five to six annual occurrences within ranks 131–154 across the surveyed period. These data points underscore Merrilee’s alignment with mid-20th-century American naming conventions that favored biblical roots augmented by pastoral-inflected suffixes.