Brandwave

Frye vs Merrell:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Frye had more branded searches than Merrell among women's boot brands worldwide. Frye had about 320,000 branded searches, while Merrell had 40,500. Frye made up 8.7% of all women's boot brand searches we track, and Merrell accounted for 1.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about women's boot brands, Frye appeared in four of the five answers and Merrell in none.

Among women's boot brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Frye, about 8 searches for every 1 for Merrell

Frye 320K searchesMerrell 40.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Frye, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Merrell in 0

Frye in 4 of 5Merrell in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Frye, the only one of the two named

Frye first in 4Merrell never named

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Top women's boot brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Frye was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Merrell did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Thursday Boot Company1st
  2. Blundstone2nd
  3. Naturalizer3rd
  4. Frye4th
  5. Sam Edelman5th
  6. Clarks6th
  7. Sorel7th
  8. Ariat8th
  9. Hunter–
  10. Merrell–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Frye4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sam Edelman4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Naturalizer4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Thursday Boot Company4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Clarks3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Blundstone3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sorel2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ariat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hunter0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Merrell0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about women's boot brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Frye or Merrell more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Frye and Merrell by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten women's boot brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Frye and Merrell among women's boot brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Frye, Merrell. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthClarksAriatBlundstoneFryeSam EdelmanSorelNaturalizerThursday Boot CompanyHunterMerrell
Oct 202536.4%16.3%16.3%10.7%7.3%6%2.7%2.2%1.5%0.66%
Nov 202534.3%18.8%18.8%8.6%5.6%8.4%2.1%2.1%0.93%0.42%
Dec 202532.8%21.9%18%7.4%5.4%8.1%2%3%1.1%0.49%
Jan 202640.2%18.1%14.8%6%5.4%8.1%2%3%1.6%0.89%
Feb 202642%18.9%12.7%5.5%6.9%5.7%2.5%2.5%2.1%1.1%
Mar 202644.7%20.1%9%5.5%9%4%2.7%1.8%2.2%0.99%
Apr 202646.1%20.7%7.6%4.9%9.2%3.4%2.8%1.9%2.3%1.2%
May 202646.1%20.7%7.6%4.9%9.3%3.4%2.8%1.9%1.9%1.5%
Jun 202649%22%6.6%4.9%8%2.4%2.4%1.3%2%1.3%
Jul 202650.1%18.4%6.7%6.2%8.2%3%2.5%1.4%2%1.7%
Aug 202649%18%8.1%7%8.1%2.9%2.4%1.6%1.6%1.3%
Sep 202640.6%18.2%12.2%8.7%8.2%4.5%2.5%2.5%1.6%1.1%

How has the Frye and Merrell comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Frye was ahead of Merrell in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Frye’s share of searches among women's boot brands worldwide moved from 10.7% to 8.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 442K to 320K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among women's boot brands worldwide moved from 0.66% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 40.5K.

How did search popularity change for women's boot brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Frye overtook Sam Edelman to rank 4th among women's boot brands worldwide, with 8.7% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Merrell worldwide rose 49.4% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 40.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Frye’s and Merrell’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Frye

2 branded search terms

  • frye
  • frye boots

Merrell

1 branded search term

  • hiking boots merrell

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among women's boot brands

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