Mercedes
Mercedes is a Spanish female name, popularized in the form of María de las Mercedes, which is one of the Roman Catholic titles of the Virgin Mary. The word "Mercedes" is of Latin origin meaning "mercies" from the Latin word merced-, merces, meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favor, pity". Hypocoristic forms of the name are Merceditas, Mechi, Mer, Meche and Merche.
Meaning & Origin of Mercedes
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Mercedes is a Spanish female name, popularized in the form of María de las Mercedes, which is one of the Roman Catholic titles of the Virgin Mary. The word "Mercedes" is of Latin origin meaning "mercies" from the Latin word merced-, merces, meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favor, pity". Hypocoristic forms of the name are Merceditas, Mechi, Mer, Meche and Merche.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Mercedes
Mercedes first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 1,798 Mercedess were born — ranking #164 that year. As of 2026, Mercedes ranks #1,472 for baby girls with 149 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 46K Mercedess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Mercedes
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mercedes is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Mercedez
- Mercies
- Mermaids
- Marauders
- Middies
- Muddies
- Macedo
- Moodys
- Mirandas
- Msds
- Maydays
- Meridia
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mercedes
What does the name Mercedes mean?
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In which U.S. states is Mercedes most popular?
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About the name Mercedes
Mercedes is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 46K births in the dataset. Mercedes's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #164. Use the chart and map above to compare Mercedes's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.