Girl · #13,787 in 2026

Merriam

Name: Popularity of the name Merriam in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Merriam, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Current Rank

#13,787

Peak Rank

#2,291 (1922)

Total Babies

346

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1912

First Year

2018

Last Year

1922

Peak Year

#2291

Peak Rank

346

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Merriam

The earliest SSA record of Merriam as a baby girl name dates back to 1912, when 5 babies received it. 1922 was its biggest year on record, with 16 newborns named Merriam — #2,291 in the national rankings. About 28% of every Merriam on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Merriam last appeared in the published SSA data in 2018, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 346 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Merriam

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Merriam

What does the name Merriam mean?

Merriam is a girl's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1912. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Merriam in 2026?

In 2026, Merriam ranks #13,787 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Merriam most popular?

Merriam reached its peak popularity in 1922, ranking #2,291 that year with 16 babies given the name.

Is Merriam a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Merriam is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Merriam?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Merriam include Ellar, Madora, Arah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Merriam

Merriam is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 346 births in the dataset. Merriam's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #2,291. Use the chart and map above to compare Merriam'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.