Merritt
Merritt was the 703rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 401 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,605 places. More babies were named Merritt in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it MAIR-it /ˈmɛrɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #703 girls, up 828 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 401girls
- Girls and boys
- 68% girls, 32% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025401 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,382babies recorded
What does the name Merritt mean?
Merritt is an English surname used as a first name. Wiktionary records it as a boys' name in the 19th and 20th centuries and as a girls' name from the 1970s, and notes its use in place names such as Merritt Island in Florida, home of the Kennedy Space Center. Neither Wiktionary nor Wikipedia explains the surname itself, so no meaning is given here. Any link with the word merit rests only on the sound.
How sure is this? Not documented. The surname's origin is not explained in the sources consulted.
Other explanations you may read: from the word merit, 'worth'.
Related names: Merrit, Merit.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Merritt', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Merritt (surname)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Merritt popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #703 | #1,505 | 401 | 117 |
| 2020 | #1,531 | #1,862 | 139 | 80 |
| 2010 | #4,699 | #3,159 | 31 | 36 |
| 2000 | #4,256 | #3,494 | 29 | 24 |
| 1990 | #4,468 | #3,720 | 22 | 16 |
| 1980 | #4,662 | #2,692 | 16 | 18 |
| 1970 | #2,430 | #1,647 | 31 | 28 |
| 1960 | — | #1,286 | — | 38 |
| 1950 | — | #974 | — | 51 |
| 1940 | — | #868 | — | 53 |
| 1930 | — | #734 | — | 75 |
| 1920 | — | #612 | — | 107 |
| 1910 | — | #847 | — | 14 |
| 1900 | — | #1,133 | — | 7 |
| 1890 | — | #587 | — | 12 |
| 1880 | — | #418 | — | 18 |
How popular is Merritt, counting every spelling?
Merritt is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #616 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #703 for Merritt on its own. Together these spellings went to 477 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merritt | 401 | #703 | 962 |
| Merit | 51 | #3,154 | 120 |
| Merrit | 14 | #7,759 | 38 |
| Meritt | 11 | #9,272 | 36 |
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 Merritt?
401 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Merritt (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Merritt 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 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Merritt.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Merritt?
About 3,200 people born in the US named Merritt are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 4 and 27. That makes Merritt 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.
Merritt by state
How common Merritt was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (10.3×), Alabama (5.4×), Tennessee (4.1×), Arkansas (3.8×), North Carolina (3.7×). In 26 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 Merritt: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Merritt, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Merritt · Sibling names for Merritt
Questions about the name Merritt
How popular is the name Merritt?
Merritt was the 703rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 401 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,605 places. More babies were named Merritt in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Merritt a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 68% girls, 32% boys given the name Merritt in the US.
Where is Merritt most popular?
In 2021–2025, Merritt was most common in Nebraska (1.22 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Tennessee.