girls' name ★ peaked 1991

Mercedes

Meaning From Spanish Mercedes (Mary, Our Lady of Mercy) Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,439 Trend ↓ Falling 22%

From Spanish Mercedes (Mary, Our Lady of Mercy).

Rank 2025
#1,439
among girls · ↑9 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
150
named Mercedes · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,715
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1991
1,808 babies
All-time total
46,575
#621 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Mercedes popularity over time

46,575 babies have been named Mercedes since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 74 – 74 7 – #745
1890s 226 – 226 23 +205% #504
1900s 530 – 530 53 +135% #408
1910s 1,767 6 1,773 177 +235% #394
1920s 2,828 54 2,882 288 +63% #369
1930s 1,858 31 1,889 189 -34% #440
1940s 1,368 – 1,368 137 -28% #586
1950s 1,741 5 1,746 175 +28% #637
1960s 1,699 – 1,699 170 -3% #759
1970s 1,985 35 2,020 202 +19% #705
1980s 4,410 146 4,556 456 +126% #224
1990s 15,291 85 15,376 1,538 +237% #164
2000s 8,454 7 8,461 846 -45% #283
2010s 2,950 – 2,950 295 -65% #665
2020s (to 2025) 1,025 – 1,025 171 -42% #1,218

Where Mercedes is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 144 0.09 outside top 500
2027 139 0.09 outside top 500
2028 134 0.08 outside top 500
2029 131 0.08 outside top 500
2030 128 0.08 outside top 500

Where Mercedes is most popular

Girls named Mercedes per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.105 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Arizona, and Illinois.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Mercedes born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 30 0.360 +244%
Arizona 25 0.178 +70%
Illinois 40 0.175 +67%
Colorado 16 0.143 +37%
Ohio 32 0.135 +29%
Texas 101 0.126 +20%
California 101 0.120 +15%
Tennessee 18 0.114 +9%
New York 42 0.106 ≈ national
Florida 45 0.105 ≈ national
Kansas 6 0.104 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 23 0.097 -7%
Minnesota 10 0.093 -11%
Indiana 12 0.085 -18%
Washington 12 0.083 -21%
Oklahoma 6 0.082 -22%
New Jersey 13 0.072 -31%
Virginia 12 0.070 -33%
Kentucky 6 0.070 -33%
Alabama 6 0.064 -39%
Michigan 11 0.060 -42%
Missouri 7 0.058 -44%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -54%
North Carolina 11 0.048 -54%
Georgia 5 0.022 -79%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mercedes

Mercedes is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,439 in 2025 with 150 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 46,575 American babies have been named Mercedes. Its peak came in 1991, when 1,808 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mercedes stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mercedes?

The median living Mercedes is about 31 years old; half are between 23 and 37. An estimated 38 thousand people named Mercedes are alive in the United States today.

median 31 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mercedes year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 150 #1,439 – –
2024 152 #1,448 – –
2023 158 #1,420 – –
2022 194 #1,245 – –
2021 195 #1,218 – –
2020 176 #1,273 – –
2019 196 #1,197 – –
2018 237 #1,074 – –
2017 246 #1,049 – –
2016 255 #1,037 – –
2015 244 #1,078 – –
2014 271 #986 – –
2013 301 #859 – –
2012 398 #708 – –
2011 366 #754 – –
2010 436 #665 – –
2009 457 #647 – –
2008 583 #524 – –
2007 664 #490 – –
2006 730 #437 – –
2005 817 #383 – –
2004 952 #337 7 #9,605
2003 949 #332 – –
2002 1,069 #293 – –
2001 1,099 #283 – –
2000 1,134 #285 – –
1995 1,543 #191 – –
1990 1,654 #176 19 #3,263
1985 359 #551 9 #4,560
1980 248 #693 11 #3,760
1975 211 #705 8 #4,176
1970 202 #734 – –
1965 169 #762 – –
1960 167 #798 – –
1955 159 #752 – –
1950 179 #641 – –
1945 156 #586 – –
1940 135 #601 – –
1935 175 #477 6 #3,520
1930 234 #440 – –
1925 295 #398 9 #3,064
1920 318 #369 5 #4,737
1915 232 #394 – –
1910 82 #442 – –
1905 60 #435 – –
1900 49 #486 – –
1895 27 #587 – –
1890 14 #750 – –
1885 6 #1,007 – –
1880 6 #809 – –

Famous people named Mercedes

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mercedes Mason Mercedes Mason American actress (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes Ruehl American actress (born 1948) Contemporary
  3. 3 Mercedes Sosa Mercedes Sosa Argentine singer (1935–2009) Contemporary
  4. 4 Mercedes McCambridge Mercedes McCambridge American actress (1916–2004) Contemporary
  5. 5 Mercedes McNab Mercedes McNab Canadian actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  6. 6 Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta American poet, playwright, and novelist (1892–1968) 19th century
  7. 7 Mercedes of Orléans Mercedes of Orléans Queen of Spain in 1878 1860–1878 · 19th century
  8. 8 Mercedes Aráoz Mercedes Aráoz Peruvian economist, academic, and politician (born 1961) Contemporary
  9. 9 Mercedes Lambre Mercedes Lambre Argentine actress, singer, dancer and model (born 1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mercedes, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mercedes?

The median living Mercedes is about 31 years old. Half of all living Mercedess are between 23 and 37 years old.

How many people named Mercedes are alive today?

An estimated 38 thousand people named Mercedes are alive in the United States, based on 46,575 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mercedes mean?

From Spanish Mercedes (Mary, Our Lady of Mercy).

How popular is the name Mercedes in 2025?

Mercedes ranked #1,439 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 150 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mercedes?

46,575 babies have been named Mercedes in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mercedes most popular?

Mercedes peaked in 1991, when 1,808 newborns received the name.

Is Mercedes a boy or girl name?

Mercedes is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mercedes rising or falling?

Mercedes is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mercedes become more popular?

Mercedes is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 128 girls named Mercedes in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mercedes?

Well-known people named Mercedes include Mercedes Mason (actor), Mercedes Ruehl (actor), Mercedes Sosa (singer).

Names like Mercedes

Names that sound and feel close to Mercedes: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mercedes with similar names → More names starting with M →