Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2019

Mercy

Meaning From mercy in the 17th century Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #867 Trend ↓ Falling 15%

From mercy in the 17th century; one of the less common Puritan virtue names.

Rank 2025
#867
among girls · ↓20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
338
named Mercy · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,135
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2019
461 babies
All-time total
10,864
#1,597 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Mercy popularity over time

10,864 babies have been named Mercy since 1881, 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 53 – 53 5 – #611
1890s 25 – 25 3 -53% #1,235
1900s 61 – 61 6 +144% #1,336
1910s 187 5 192 19 +215% #1,369
1920s 359 – 359 36 +87% #1,024
1930s 368 – 368 37 +3% #1,016
1940s 397 – 397 40 +8% #1,174
1950s 494 – 494 49 +24% #1,217
1960s 371 – 371 37 -25% #1,550
1970s 531 – 531 53 +43% #1,457
1980s 421 – 421 42 -21% #2,087
1990s 677 – 677 68 +61% #1,579
2000s 1,533 5 1,538 154 +127% #1,266
2010s 3,136 87 3,223 322 +110% #661
2020s (to 2025) 2,019 135 2,154 359 +11% #781

Where Mercy 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 305 0.19 outside top 500
2027 298 0.19 outside top 500
2028 292 0.18 outside top 500
2029 287 0.18 outside top 500
2030 283 0.18 outside top 500

Where Mercy is most popular

Girls named Mercy per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.207 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Hawaii, and Tennessee.

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 Mercy 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
Iowa 34 0.582 +181%
Hawaii 6 0.523 +153%
Tennessee 75 0.473 +129%
Indiana 64 0.456 +120%
Oklahoma 33 0.448 +117%
Alabama 41 0.437 +111%
Washington 61 0.422 +104%
Arkansas 22 0.416 +101%
Kentucky 35 0.409 +98%
Louisiana 33 0.377 +82%
Minnesota 40 0.371 +79%
Georgia 79 0.348 +68%
South Carolina 31 0.345 +67%
Michigan 54 0.296 +43%
Maryland 30 0.283 +37%
Missouri 34 0.282 +36%
Oregon 16 0.246 +19%
Ohio 58 0.244 +18%
Texas 195 0.242 +17%
Virginia 41 0.241 +16%
Nevada 11 0.237 +14%
North Carolina 50 0.220 +6%
Arizona 30 0.214 ≈ national
Colorado 23 0.206 ≈ national
Illinois 46 0.201 ≈ national
Idaho 6 0.179 -13%
Wisconsin 18 0.175 -16%
Florida 74 0.173 -16%
Pennsylvania 38 0.161 -22%
California 133 0.158 -24%
Utah 12 0.144 -30%
New York 48 0.121 -41%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -48%
New Jersey 15 0.083 -60%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Mercy

Mercy is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #867 in 2025 with 313 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 10,864 American babies have been named Mercy. Its peak came in 2019, when 461 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Mercy stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mercy?

The median living Mercy is about 13 years old; half are between 6 and 29. An estimated 9,600 people named Mercy are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

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

Mercy 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 313 #867 25 #4,211
2024 320 #847 24 #4,399
2023 329 #834 28 #3,959
2022 355 #797 21 #4,803
2021 363 #781 20 #4,879
2020 339 #801 17 #5,393
2019 441 #661 20 #4,909
2018 392 #726 13 #6,578
2017 367 #759 16 #5,697
2016 360 #792 12 #7,000
2015 265 #1,013 11 #7,382
2014 289 #935 9 #8,568
2013 314 #840 6 #11,690
2012 255 #991 – –
2011 246 #1,017 – –
2010 207 #1,179 – –
2009 193 #1,266 – –
2008 182 #1,347 – –
2007 176 #1,379 – –
2006 163 #1,395 – –
2005 159 #1,364 – –
2004 150 #1,393 – –
2003 156 #1,324 – –
2002 111 #1,666 – –
2001 131 #1,441 – –
2000 112 #1,585 5 #11,567
1995 69 #1,998 – –
1990 53 #2,367 – –
1985 45 #2,278 – –
1980 50 #2,087 – –
1975 70 #1,470 – –
1970 49 #1,818 – –
1965 32 #2,098 – –
1960 52 #1,550 – –
1955 55 #1,359 – –
1950 37 #1,543 – –
1945 41 #1,255 – –
1940 37 #1,212 – –
1935 37 #1,178 – –
1930 42 #1,155 – –
1925 35 #1,364 – –
1920 28 #1,573 – –
1915 14 #2,212 – –
1910 10 #1,590 – –
1905 5 #2,137 – –
1900 7 #1,682 – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Mercy?

The median living Mercy is about 13 years old. Half of all living Mercys are between 6 and 29 years old.

How many people named Mercy are alive today?

An estimated 9,600 people named Mercy are alive in the United States, based on 10,864 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mercy mean?

From mercy in the 17th century; one of the less common Puritan virtue names.

How popular is the name Mercy in 2025?

Mercy ranked #867 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 313 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mercy?

10,864 babies have been named Mercy in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mercy most popular?

Mercy peaked in 2019, when 461 newborns received the name.

Is Mercy a boy or girl name?

Mercy is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mercy rising or falling?

Mercy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mercy become more popular?

Mercy is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 283 girls named Mercy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Mercy

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

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