Merci
Merci was the 3502nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 2556th with 69 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 963 places. More babies were named Merci in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Mercy) mercy, compassion · English, Old French, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #3,502 girls, down 182 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 44girls
- Girls and boys
- 84% girls, 16% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201969 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,055babies recorded
What does the name Merci mean?
Merci is a spelling of Mercy, pronounced the same way, so it shares Mercy's meaning and origin.
Mercy is a virtue name taken from the English word mercy, which came through Anglo-Norman and Old French merci 'mercy, grace, favor' from Latin merces 'wages, reward', a word that in Christian Latin came to mean the reward of heaven and then pity. DMNES records it in English parish records from the 1560s, earlier than older reference books suggested, and it was one of the less common Puritan virtue names. It is sometimes used as an English equivalent of Spanish Mercedes.
merci (Old French, “mercy, grace, favor”)mercēs (Latin, “wages, reward”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Mercedes, Merci.
See also: English names, names that mean grace, virtue names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mercy', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mercy', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'mercy' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Merci popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,502 | #7,509 | 44 | 11 |
| 2020 | #3,320 | #10,234 | 47 | 7 |
| 2010 | #6,815 | — | 19 | — |
| 2000 | #11,440 | — | 8 | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | #11,487 | — | 5 | — |
| 1970 | #7,650 | — | 6 | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Merci, counting every spelling?
Merci is a spelling of Mercy, a name family that ranked #750 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,502 for Merci on its own. Together these spellings went to 368 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy | 313 | #867 | 1,680 |
| Merci | 44 | #3,502 | 239 |
| Mercie | 11 | #9,271 | 44 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Merci?
44 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Merci (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Merci born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 191 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Merci.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Merci?
About 1,000 people born in the US named Merci are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 6 and 21. That makes Merci a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Merci by state
How common Merci was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Georgia (3.7×). In 47 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Merci: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Merci, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Merci
What does Merci mean?
Merci is a spelling of Mercy, which means “mercy, compassion” (English, Old French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Merci?
Merci was the 3502nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 2556th with 69 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 963 places. More babies were named Merci in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Merci a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 84% girls, 16% boys given the name Merci in the US.
Where is Merci most popular?
In 2021–2025, Merci was most common in Georgia (0.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and North Carolina.