Muriel /ˈmjʊəriəl/ is a feminine given name in the English language.
The name is of Gaelic origin and was originally formatted as Muirgheal (muir sea/ gheal bright) in Irish and Muireall in Scottish Gaelic. Various formats have long been evident in Breton, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic languages. The name was very common in medieval England, typically formatted as Merial, and unusual for a name of Celtic origin remained common after the Norman Conquest although rare from about 1300. Remaining common in Scotland as Muriel, the name in this form was introduced back into England in the mid-19th century, facilitated by Dinah Craik's 1856 novel John Halifax, Gentleman whose title character's daughter is named Muriel; born in 1802 Muriel is said to be named "after the rather peculiar name of John's mother." Usage of Muriel peaked in the early 1920s and has subsequently declined.
Muriel Anderson (born 1960), American guitarist
Muriel Angelus (1909–2004), British actress
Muriel Barbery (born 1969), Moroccan-born French novelist
Muriel Beaumont (1881–1957), British actress
Muriel Bell (1898–1974), New Zealand nutritionist and researcher
Muriel Box (1905–1991), British screenwriter and film director
Muriel Brunskill (1899–1980), British contralto
Muriel Casals i Couturier (1945–2016), French-born Catalan economist
Muriel Davisson, American neuroscientist
Muriel Day (born 1942), Irish singer
Muriel Duckworth (1908–2009), Canadian activist
Muriel Gray (born 1958), Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist
Muriel Gustavo Becker (born 1987), Brazilian male footballer
Muriel Kovitz (born 1926), Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Calgary and Community Volunteer
Muriel Moody (1907- 1991), New Zealand ceramic artist
Muriel Pavlow (born 1921), British actress
Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), American poet and political activist
Muriel Smith (1923–1985), American mezzo-soprano
Muriel Spark (1918–2006), British novelist
Muriel (Animal Farm), a wise old goat in George Orwell's novel Animal Farm
Muriel, the main antagonist in the 2013 film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
Muriel, hotel maid who was a recurring character in the family sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Muriel Bagge, one of the main characters in Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chandler Muriel Bing, one of the male lead roles in the US TV sitcom Friends (1994-2004)
Muriel Heslop, lead character in the iconic 1994 Australian film Muriel's Wedding
Muriel McComber, teenage lead role in the Eugene O'Neill play Ah, Wilderness! (1933)
Lady Muriel Orme, one of the main characters in Lewis Carroll's Sylvie and Bruno novels
Muriel Pritchett, character in the Anne Tyler novel The Accidental Tourist (1985)
Muriel Rush, female lead role in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort
Muriel Stacy, Anne's teacher in Anne of Green Gables, which had a big influence upon the development of the main character
Muriel Weasley, elderly gossipy great-aunt of Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2009)
