Unisex · #6,201 in 2026

Mercury

Mercury is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:

  • Roman Mythology
Current Rank
#6,201
Peak Rank
#3,013 (2023)
Total Babies
223
5-Yr Trend
+37%
👧 Girl peak #6,396 (129 total)
👦 Boy peak #3,013 (223 total)
👦As Boy Name
1972
First Year
2026
Last Year
2023
Peak Year
#3013
Peak Rank
223
Total Count
26
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
2009
First Year
2026
Last Year
2026
Peak Year
#6396
Peak Rank
129
Total Count
12
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mercury

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Mercury is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Roman Mythology

The Story of Mercury

As a girl name

The earliest SSA record of Mercury as a girl name dates back to 2009, when 6 babies received it. 2026 was its biggest year on record, with 18 newborns named Mercury — #6,396 in the national rankings. About 71% of every Mercury on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mercury ranks #6,396 for girls with 18 births, rising sharply (+73% over the past five years). All told, over 129 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

The earliest SSA record of Mercury as a boy name dates back to 1972, when 6 babies received it. 2023 was its biggest year on record, with 16 newborns named Mercury — #5,664 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Mercury on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mercury ranks #6,201 for boys with 14 births, rising sharply (+37% over the past five years). All told, over 223 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Mercury

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mercury. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Mercurius

Names that sound like Mercury

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mercury is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Mercure
  • Mercuri
  • Mercurio
  • Mercur
  • Mercuries
  • Murkier
  • Arcuri
  • Mockery
  • Murky
  • Merker
  • Mirky
  • Macquarie

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mercury

What does the name Mercury mean?
Mercury is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
What is the origin of the name Mercury?
Mercury has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Roman Mythology.
How popular is Mercury in 2026?
In 2026, Mercury ranks #6,201 among boys' names in the U.S., with 14 babies given the name that year.
When was Mercury most popular?
Mercury reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #3,013 that year with 16 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Mercury most popular?
Mercury has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mercury.
Is Mercury a unisex name?
Yes — Mercury is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 37% of Mercurys assigned female and 63% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Mercury?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mercury include Fredick, Shanton, Tarris. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Mercury?
Common variants and related forms of Mercury include Mercurius. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Mercury

Mercury is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 223 births in the dataset. Mercury's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #3,013. Use the chart and map above to compare Mercury's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.