Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Merit

Gender Unisex · 58% girls Rank 2025 #3,154 Trend ↑ Rising 159%
Rank 2025
#3,154
among girls · ↑4,321 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
73
named Merit · +152% vs 2024
How common
1 in 31,515
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2025
73 babies
All-time total
544
#15,468 all-time among girls
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Merit popularity over time

544 babies have been named Merit since 1918, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 10 10 1 – –
1920s – 13 13 1 +30% –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 5 5 1 – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 11 – 11 1 – #6,273
1970s 7 – 7 1 -36% #6,803
1980s 11 – 11 1 +57% #10,400
1990s 5 – 5 1 -55% #14,584
2000s 42 11 53 5 +960% #11,528
2010s 109 103 212 21 +300% #7,228
2020s (to 2025) 131 86 217 36 +71% #3,154

Where Merit 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 60 0.04 outside top 500
2027 69 0.04 outside top 500
2028 77 0.05 outside top 500
2029 85 0.05 outside top 500
2030 92 0.06 outside top 500

The story of Merit

Merit is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,154 in 2025 with 51 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 544 American babies have been named Merit, about 58% girls and 42% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 73 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Merit?

The median living Merit is about 7 years old; half are between 2 and 13. An estimated 500 people named Merit are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

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

Merit 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 51 #3,154 22 #4,640
2024 15 #7,475 14 #6,368
2023 26 #5,084 11 #7,578
2022 14 #7,915 13 #6,711
2021 14 #7,893 11 #7,427
2020 11 #9,348 15 #5,880
2019 16 #7,228 12 #7,038
2018 8 #12,126 11 #7,452
2017 13 #8,621 14 #6,229
2016 11 #9,865 15 #5,957
2015 12 #9,323 10 #7,860
2014 9 #11,636 16 #5,632
2013 11 #10,023 10 #7,910
2012 8 #13,044 – –
2011 7 #14,329 6 #11,793
2010 14 #8,578 9 #8,565
2009 – – 5 #13,813
2008 6 #16,803 6 #12,068
2007 7 #14,944 – –
2006 9 #12,081 – –
2005 9 #11,528 – –
2004 6 #15,425 – –
2003 5 #17,469 – –
2002 – – – –
2001 – – – –
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 5 #11,495 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 7 #6,803 – –
1965 6 #6,273 – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Merit?

The median living Merit is about 7 years old. Half of all living Merits are between 2 and 13 years old.

How many people named Merit are alive today?

An estimated 500 people named Merit are alive in the United States, based on 544 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Merit in 2025?

Merit ranked #3,154 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 51 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Merit?

544 babies have been named Merit in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Merit most popular?

Merit peaked in 2025, when 73 newborns received the name.

Is Merit a boy or girl name?

Merit is used for both: about 58% of babies named Merit have been girls and 42% boys.

Is the name Merit rising or falling?

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

Will Merit become more popular?

Merit is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 92 girls named Merit in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Merit

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

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