Girl · #7,833 in 2026

Merry

As a given name, Merry may refer to:Merry Anders (1934–2012), American actress born Mary Helen Anderson Merry Clayton, American soul and gospel singer Gladys Geissmann (1908–1978), better known as Merry Hull, American accessory designer credited with the "finger-free" glove Merry Lepper, American long-distance runner acknowledged to have set a world record in the marathon in 1963 Merry Lindsey,…

  • English
  • Literature
Current Rank
#7,833
Peak Rank
#455 (1954)
Total Babies
10K
5-Yr Trend
-18%
1898
First Year
2026
Last Year
1954
Peak Year
#455
Peak Rank
10K
Total Count
123
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Merry

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

As a given name, Merry may refer to:Merry Anders (1934–2012), American actress born Mary Helen Anderson Merry Clayton, American soul and gospel singer Gladys Geissmann (1908–1978), better known as Merry Hull, American accessory designer credited with the "finger-free" glove Merry Lepper, American long-distance runner acknowledged to have set a world record in the marathon in 1963 Merry Lindsey,…

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • Literature

The Story of Merry

The earliest SSA record of Merry as a baby girl name dates back to 1898, when 5 babies received it. 1954 was its biggest year on record, with 355 newborns named Merry — #469 in the national rankings. About 29% of every Merry on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Merry ranks #7,833 for baby girls with 13 births, falling sharply (-18%). All told, over 10K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

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 Merry

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

Names that sound like Merry

Phonetically similar names — useful when Merry 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 Merry

What does the name Merry mean?
As a given name, Merry may refer to:Merry Anders (1934–2012), American actress born Mary Helen Anderson Merry Clayton, American soul and gospel singer Gladys Geissmann (1908–1978), better known as Merry Hull, American accessory designer credited with the "finger-free" glove Merry Lepper, American long-distance runner acknowledged to have set a world record in the marathon in 1963 Merry Lindsey,…
What is the origin of the name Merry?
Merry has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Literature.
How popular is Merry in 2026?
In 2026, Merry ranks #7,833 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year.
When was Merry most popular?
Merry reached its peak popularity in 1954, ranking #455 that year with 355 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Merry most popular?
Merry has historically been most popular in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Merry.
Is Merry a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Merry is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Merry?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Merry include Yetta, Georgette, Keely. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Merry?
Common variants and related forms of Merry include Mercia, Mercy. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Yetta
Peak #455
👧
Georgette
Peak #455
👧
Keely
Peak #455
👧
Tiffanie
Peak #455
👧
Melina
Peak #456
👧
Luz
Peak #454
👧
Jacklyn
Peak #454
👧
Calliope
Peak #456

About the name Merry

Merry is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1898 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Merry's peak popularity came in 1954 when it ranked #455. Use the chart and map above to compare Merry'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.