Unisex name ★ peaked 2017

Merrick

Meaning Anglicisation of Welsh Meurig Gender Unisex · 8% girls Rank 2025 #1,183 Trend ↓ Falling 17%

Anglicisation of Welsh Meurig.

Rank 2025
#1,183
among boys · ↑35 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
191
named Merrick · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,817
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
296 babies
All-time total
6,311
#1,627 all-time among boys
First recorded
1905
in Social Security records

Merrick popularity over time

6,311 babies have been named Merrick since 1905, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 5 5 1 – #1,360
1910s – 46 46 5 +820% #2,201
1920s – 69 69 7 +50% #2,114
1930s – 52 52 5 -25% #2,395
1940s – 120 120 12 +131% #1,732
1950s – 163 163 16 +36% #1,799
1960s 5 172 177 18 +9% #1,653
1970s – 241 241 24 +36% #1,683
1980s 61 205 266 27 +10% #1,902
1990s 41 463 504 50 +89% #1,556
2000s 159 1,175 1,334 133 +165% #1,082
2010s 152 1,899 2,051 205 +54% #818
2020s (to 2025) 101 1,182 1,283 214 +4% #1,004

Where Merrick is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 167 0.10 outside top 500
2027 162 0.09 outside top 500
2028 158 0.09 outside top 500
2029 154 0.09 outside top 500
2030 151 0.09 outside top 500

Where Merrick is most popular

Boys named Merrick per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.113 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Merrick 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Iowa 27 0.392 +246%
Minnesota 32 0.261 +131%
Wisconsin 26 0.219 +94%
Missouri 27 0.195 +72%
Colorado 24 0.186 +64%
Washington 27 0.165 +46%
Kansas 10 0.146 +29%
Michigan 29 0.142 +25%
Ohio 37 0.140 +23%
North Carolina 33 0.129 +14%
Florida 60 0.127 +12%
Pennsylvania 33 0.124 +10%
Indiana 19 0.118 +5%
California 98 0.107 -5%
Oklahoma 9 0.102 -10%
Virginia 17 0.090 -21%
Texas 76 0.086 -24%
Illinois 22 0.086 -24%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -30%
Utah 7 0.073 -35%
Arizona 11 0.067 -41%
New York 26 0.060 -47%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -47%
Maryland 6 0.050 -56%
Georgia 10 0.039 -65%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
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 Merrick

Merrick is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,183 in 2025 with 174 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1905, 6,311 American babies have been named Merrick, about 92% boys and 8% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2017, when 296 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 Merrick stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Merrick?

The median living Merrick is about 13 years old; half are between 6 and 24. An estimated 5,900 people named Merrick 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.

Merrick 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 17 #6,741 174 #1,183
2024 16 #7,145 167 #1,218
2023 19 #6,330 210 #1,041
2022 15 #7,525 208 #1,061
2021 21 #5,881 218 #1,004
2020 13 #8,267 205 #1,016
2019 12 #8,937 216 #987
2018 19 #6,427 274 #818
2017 24 #5,476 272 #824
2016 15 #7,867 208 #984
2015 20 #6,389 192 #1,043
2014 12 #9,355 197 #1,031
2013 13 #8,899 155 #1,164
2012 13 #8,966 143 #1,241
2011 11 #10,182 116 #1,427
2010 13 #9,066 126 #1,356
2009 10 #11,227 145 #1,239
2008 16 #7,990 145 #1,221
2007 18 #7,309 170 #1,082
2006 23 #5,848 159 #1,105
2005 18 #6,734 136 #1,178
2004 14 #8,099 128 #1,202
2003 16 #7,097 79 #1,605
2002 13 #8,146 64 #1,807
2001 24 #4,951 80 #1,523
2000 7 #12,679 69 #1,676
1995 6 #12,792 61 #1,556
1990 – – 22 #2,926
1985 10 #6,773 31 #1,902
1980 – – 18 #2,691
1975 – – 19 #2,334
1970 – – 27 #1,683
1965 – – 23 #1,653
1960 – – 13 #2,393
1955 – – 17 #1,950
1950 – – 10 #2,530
1945 – – 13 #1,987
1940 – – 10 #2,433
1935 – – 6 #3,523
1930 – – 5 #4,360
1925 – – 7 #3,625
1920 – – 9 #3,126
1915 – – 6 #3,695
1910 – – – –
1905 – – 5 #1,360
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Merrick?

The median living Merrick is about 13 years old. Half of all living Merricks are between 6 and 24 years old.

How many people named Merrick are alive today?

An estimated 5,900 people named Merrick are alive in the United States, based on 6,311 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Merrick mean?

Anglicisation of Welsh Meurig.

How popular is the name Merrick in 2025?

Merrick ranked #1,183 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 174 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Merrick?

6,311 babies have been named Merrick in the United States since 1905, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Merrick most popular?

Merrick peaked in 2017, when 296 newborns received the name.

Is Merrick a boy or girl name?

Merrick is used for both: about 8% of babies named Merrick have been girls and 92% boys.

Is the name Merrick rising or falling?

Merrick has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Merrick become more popular?

Merrick is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 151 boys named Merrick in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Merrick

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

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