Maral, Meral

• Origin: Armenian, Azeri, Kazakh, Kurdish, Mongolian, Persian, Turkmen
• Meaning: “Caspian red deer; roe deer.”
• Armenian: Մարալ
• Mongolian/Kazakh: Марал
• Persian: مرال
• Gender: Female

The name is ultimately derived from the Persian word مرال (maral), used to describe the Caspian red deer. Its usage has spread throughout the Persianate world and Central Asia.

Meral is the Turkish form. Between 1980-1990, Meral was among the Top 100 most popular Turkish girls’ names, peaking at #41 in 1982.

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/maral
• https://www.behindthename.com/name/meral
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meral
• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maral