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Mercy

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English word name
"compassion"

Mercy Origin and Meaning

The name Mercy is a girl's name of English origin meaning "compassion".

The quality of mercy makes this lovely Puritan virtue name a quiet favorite today. Although it was most popular in the late nineteenth century, Mercy is on its way to a comeback -- it rose 143 spots between 2012 and 2013, making it one of the year's fastest-rising names. Right now, it's still stylish and distinctive, a rare and wonderful combination.

Mercy is one of the characters with allegorical names in John Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, and Mercy Pecksniff appears in Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzlewit with the nickname Merry. Mercy Lewis, in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, was based on a real-life person, a witness at the Salem witch trials. Another historic Mercy is Mercy Warren, Revolutionary period patriot and writer of plays, books and poetry.

Comic/sidekick Andy Richter, when he named his daughter Mercy, joked, "Just in case Puritanism comes back, we'll be ready with a real Puritan name"; Madonna renamed her Malawi-born daughter Mercy James. As a word name and modern virtue name, it's one of the most fashionable English names for girls.

# 797 in the US

Mercy Rank in US Top 1000

# 820 on Nameberry

Mercy Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Mercy Popularity

20 Names Similar to Mercy

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Mercy.

Famous People Named Mercy

  • Mercy Otis WarrenAmerican writer and propagandist of the American Revolution
  • Mercy FiennesTiffin, English actress
  • Mercy Aigbe GentryNigerian actress
  • Mercy JohnsonNigerian actress
  • Mercy AkideNigerian footballer
  • Mercy Lewisfigure in the Salem witch trials; portrayed in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"
  • Mercy BrownAmerican girl exhumed on suspicion of being a vampire in 1892
  • Mercy Josephine Richter (b. 2005)daughter of comedian Andy Richter
  • Chifundo "Mercy" James (b. 2006)daughter of Madonna
  • Mercy Diaz (b. 2010)daughter of comedian Joey Diaz
  • Mercy Morgan (b. 2019)dauhgter of actress Emily Rose

Mercy in Pop Culture

  • Mercy Merrickcharacter in The New Magdalen (1873) by Wilkie Collins
  • Mercy Pecksniffcharacter in "Martin Chuzzlewit"
  • Mercycharacter in "A Pilgrim's Progress"
  • Mercy Lewischaracter in "The Crucible"
  • Mercy Woodcharacter in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond"
  • Mercyintended name of Adrian & Ben's daughter ("The Secret Life of an American Teenager") until Adrian later miscarried
  • Mercy Watsonpig character in children's book series by Kate DiCamillo
  • Mercyminor character in "Orange is the New Black" (Big Boo's Ex)
  • Mercy Gravesbodyguard and assistant to Lex Luthor in DC Comics
  • Mercya Swiss doctor/healer character in the video game Overwatch, otherwise known as Angela Ziegler
  • Mercybaby on TV's "7th Heaven"
  • Mercycharacter in the movie The Witch (2016)
  • Mercy Cartercharacter in "The Ransom of Mercy Carter"
  • Mercy ThompsonHauptman, main character in Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
  • Mercycharacter in film "The Warriors"