Names That Mean Gate

Merritt has a long and distinguished history as a surname; the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut and the Merritt Building testify to that. But it wasn't until Emmy-winning actress Merritt Wever came along that we gave it much thought as a girls' name. And we aren't alone. It's grown tremendously in popularity since the premiere of Nurse Jackie, in which Wever played a key role. More than 100 baby girls a year are now named Merritt in the U.S.

Merritt is an old-style surname name that could be seen as a positive virtue name. It was used in the late 19th and early 20th century for boys, reaching the Top 400 in 1899, and is notable today for being one of the names most evenly divided between boys and girls. Emmy winner Merritt Wever helped popularize it for girls.

This unusual unisex surname name is pretty evenly divided between the sexes these days than it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when it was almost entirely male.

A preppy English surname. Newscaster Megyn Kelly used it as a middle name for her son in 2009.

Although he goes by the alias Pain in Naruto, Nagato's name actually means "long-lasting gate." It is speculated that his name comes from famed 16th-century ninja Fujibayashi Nagato.

Merrit is a spelling variation of the more usual Merritt.

Best known as a hotel company, but shares some of the cool sounds of Wyatt.

A fresher, less preppy alternative to Thatcher — one without Prime Minister associations.

Best known as the name of Naruto Uzumaki, the main character in the Naruto anime series. It's also a common place name in Japan—the Naruto whirlpools are said to have inspired the name of the manga character.

Amoy is a perennially popular girl name in Jamaica, where it's purported to mean "beautiful goddess". Despite its ubiquity on the island, Amoy has never been given to more than 11 American baby girls in a single year.

An alternative spelling of Amoy, a popular Jamaican name. But beware — this spelling suggests a French-ified pronunciation a la ah-MWA.