Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Merritt

Meaning A unisex given name Gender Unisex · 34% girls Rank 2025 #1,505 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name. A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th and 20th century usage.

Rank 2025
#1,505
among boys · ↑395 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
518
named Merritt · +113% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,599
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
518 babies
All-time total
9,382
#1,556 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Merritt popularity over time

9,382 babies have been named Merritt 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 121 121 12 – #418
1890s – 168 168 17 +39% #400
1900s – 131 131 13 -22% #535
1910s 5 650 655 66 +400% #537
1920s – 966 966 97 +47% #580
1930s – 638 638 64 -34% #727
1940s – 574 574 57 -10% #801
1950s 11 469 480 48 -16% #952
1960s 187 333 520 52 +8% #1,202
1970s 212 215 427 43 -18% #1,647
1980s 184 208 392 39 -8% #2,269
1990s 248 194 442 44 +13% #2,897
2000s 339 268 607 61 +37% #3,310
2010s 944 692 1,636 164 +170% #1,565
2020s (to 2025) 1,101 524 1,625 271 +66% #1,505

Where Merritt 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 118 0.07 outside top 500
2027 120 0.07 outside top 500
2028 121 0.07 outside top 500
2029 122 0.07 outside top 500
2030 123 0.07 outside top 500

Where Merritt is most popular

Boys named Merritt per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.051 per 1,000. Strongest in Nebraska, Alabama, and North Carolina.

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 Merritt 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
Nebraska 7 0.161 +213%
Alabama 13 0.119 +131%
North Carolina 30 0.117 +129%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 +120%
Missouri 13 0.094 +82%
Georgia 17 0.067 +31%
Tennessee 12 0.066 +29%
Texas 41 0.047 -9%
Colorado 5 0.039 -25%
Virginia 5 0.026 -49%
Florida 12 0.025 -51%
Michigan 5 0.024 -53%
Ohio 6 0.023 -56%
California 13 0.014 -72%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Merritt

Merritt is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,505 in 2025 with 117 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 9,382 American babies have been named Merritt, about 66% boys and 34% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 518 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 Merritt stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Merritt?

The median living Merritt is about 14 years old; half are between 5 and 46. An estimated 6,300 people named Merritt are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Merritt 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 401 #703 117 #1,505
2024 159 #1,410 84 #1,900
2023 136 #1,563 83 #1,904
2022 139 #1,544 78 #1,977
2021 127 #1,648 82 #1,882
2020 139 #1,531 80 #1,862
2019 133 #1,603 87 #1,783
2018 151 #1,459 106 #1,581
2017 175 #1,333 105 #1,565
2016 155 #1,481 78 #1,898
2015 81 #2,308 71 #2,032
2014 87 #2,191 65 #2,133
2013 50 #3,250 62 #2,156
2012 43 #3,690 42 #2,853
2011 38 #3,982 40 #2,936
2010 31 #4,699 36 #3,159
2009 31 #4,772 34 #3,310
2008 44 #3,687 28 #3,797
2007 35 #4,353 32 #3,421
2006 22 #6,063 28 #3,657
2005 39 #3,783 27 #3,587
2004 34 #4,152 28 #3,424
2003 44 #3,328 20 #4,223
2002 25 #4,851 26 #3,421
2001 36 #3,679 21 #3,932
2000 29 #4,256 24 #3,494
1995 35 #3,265 25 #2,897
1990 22 #4,468 16 #3,720
1985 23 #3,692 21 #2,480
1980 16 #4,662 18 #2,692
1975 21 #3,361 19 #2,335
1970 31 #2,430 28 #1,647
1965 – – 28 #1,471
1960 – – 38 #1,286
1955 – – 49 #1,082
1950 – – 51 #974
1945 – – 54 #858
1940 – – 53 #868
1935 – – 51 #890
1930 – – 75 #734
1925 – – 82 #716
1920 – – 107 #612
1915 – – 80 #649
1910 – – 14 #847
1905 – – 19 #542
1900 – – 7 #1,133
1895 – – 14 #570
1890 – – 12 #587
1885 – – 19 #420
1880 – – 18 #418

Famous people named Merritt

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

  1. 1 Merritt Wever Merritt Wever American actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  2. 2 Merritt Butrick Merritt Butrick American actor (1959–1989) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Merritt?

The median living Merritt is about 14 years old. Half of all living Merritts are between 5 and 46 years old.

How many people named Merritt are alive today?

An estimated 6,300 people named Merritt are alive in the United States, based on 9,382 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Merritt mean?

A unisex given name. A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th and 20th century usage.

How popular is the name Merritt in 2025?

Merritt ranked #1,505 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 117 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Merritt?

9,382 babies have been named Merritt in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Merritt most popular?

Merritt peaked in 2025, when 518 newborns received the name.

Is Merritt a boy or girl name?

Merritt is used for both: about 34% of babies named Merritt have been girls and 66% boys.

Is the name Merritt rising or falling?

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

Will Merritt become more popular?

Merritt looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 123 boys named Merritt in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Merritt?

Well-known people named Merritt include Merritt Wever (actor), Merritt Butrick (actor).

Names like Merritt

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

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