Merritt
English surname used as a first name, generally traced to an Old English place name whose elements have been read as boundary gate.
Merritt in 2025
Merritt was given to 518 babies in the United States in 2025 — 117 boys and 401 girls, making it the 1,142nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 6,400 babies born.
The history of Merritt
Merritt reached its highest point in 2025, when 518 babies were given the name, ranking 1,142nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 812th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 9,382 babies have been named Merritt. Half of them were born before 1980, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Merritt by decade
| Decade | Babies named Merritt | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 121 | 812 |
| 1890s | 168 | 1,030 |
| 1900s | 131 | 1,360 |
| 1910s | 655 | 1,171 |
| 1920s | 966 | 1,233 |
| 1930s | 638 | 1,482 |
| 1940s | 574 | 1,694 |
| 1950s | 480 | 2,161 |
| 1960s | 520 | 2,096 |
| 1970s | 427 | 2,574 |
| 1980s | 392 | 3,541 |
| 1990s | 442 | 3,704 |
| 2000s | 607 | 4,332 |
| 2010s | 1,636 | 1,751 |
| 2020s | 1,625 | 1,142 |
Where Merritt is heading
Merritt has risen 241% over the past decade, from 152 babies in 2015 to 518 in 2025.
Names like Merritt
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Merritt.