Mercy
Mercy was the 867th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 313 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 611th; the most babies were born in 2019 (441). Over the last ten years it has moved up 146 places. More babies were named Mercy in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning mercy, compassion · English, Old French, Latin
Say it MUR-see /ˈmɝsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #867 girls, down 66 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 313girls
- Girls and boys
- 93% girls, 7% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2019441 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,864babies recorded
What does the name Mercy mean?
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)
Mercy popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #867 | #4,211 | 313 | 25 |
| 2020 | #801 | #5,393 | 339 | 17 |
| 2010 | #1,179 | — | 207 | — |
| 2000 | #1,585 | #11,567 | 112 | 5 |
| 1990 | #2,367 | — | 53 | — |
| 1980 | #2,087 | — | 50 | — |
| 1970 | #1,818 | — | 49 | — |
| 1960 | #1,550 | — | 52 | — |
| 1950 | #1,543 | — | 37 | — |
| 1940 | #1,212 | — | 37 | — |
| 1930 | #1,155 | — | 42 | — |
| 1920 | #1,573 | — | 28 | — |
| 1910 | #1,590 | — | 10 | — |
| 1900 | #1,682 | — | 7 | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Mercy, counting every spelling?
Mercy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #750 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #867 for Mercy 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 Mercy?
313 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mercy (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mercy 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mercy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mercy?
About 9,200 people born in the US named Mercy are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 7 and 30. That makes Mercy mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Mercy by state
How common Mercy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (2.8×), Tennessee (2.3×), Indiana (2.2×), Oklahoma (2.2×), Alabama (2.1×). In 17 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 Mercy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mercy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mercy · Sibling names for Mercy
Mercy is also a nickname for Mercedes.
Questions about the name Mercy
What does Mercy mean?
Mercy means “mercy, compassion” (English, Old French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Mercy?
Mercy was the 867th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 313 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 611th; the most babies were born in 2019 (441). Over the last ten years it has moved up 146 places. More babies were named Mercy in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Mercy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 93% girls, 7% boys given the name Mercy in the US.
Where is Mercy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mercy was most common in Iowa (0.58 per 1,000 girls), followed by Hawaii and Tennessee.