Definition of "Merle"

Merle¹

proper noun
1. A surname from French of French origin.
2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
  Quotations
  Merle Haggard is a name out of a morality play. And that's the kind of songs he sings.
  1968 May 3, Al Aronowitz, “New Country Twang Hits Town”, in Life Magazine, page 12

Merle²

proper noun
1. A female given name from English.
  Quotations
  Her name was Merle, and to her name she always said she owed the fact that Gilbert Vanborough ever looked at her.
  1887, Emily Frances Adeline Sergeant, Jacob's Wife, page 92
  "I wish I had a name like Merle Oberon or Miriam Hopkins," Mary Agnes said dreamily as she scanned the display of Coming Attractions.
  1976, From These Hills, From These Valleys: Pennsylvania Writers' Collection, University of Pittsburgh Press, page 186