Merrick

German, Welsh
"fame, power, ruler; dark-skinned"

Merrick Origin and Meaning

The name Merrick is a boy's name of German, Welsh origin meaning "fame, power, ruler; dark-skinned".

Maverick meets Merritt in this strong sounding choice, which has its origins in Welsh, German, and Scottish. Notably borne by dancer Merrick Hanna, comedian and presenter Merrick Watts, and by Merrick Tremayne, the central character of Natasha Pulley's novel, The Bedlam Stacks, it was briefly bumped into the US Top 1000 in 2016 following The Supreme Court saga of Justice Merrick Garland.

From its Welsh origins, Merrick derives from Meurig, itself a variation of the Latin Maurice and Maurus, meaning "dark-skinned" or "Moorish". From its Scottish origins, it literally means "fingered, knuckled", but is usually interpreted as referring to a fork in a river or road, and thus it's been used as the name of several Scottish places. From its Germanic and English roots, it combines rih ("power, ruler") with mari ("famous, fame"), making it an all-round versatile choice.

Given to 165 boys in a recent year, along with 16 girls, it makes a familiar yet less popular alternative to Maverick, Derek, and Eric.

# 981 in the US

Merrick Rank in US Top 1000

# 370 on Nameberry

Merrick Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Merrick

20 Names Similar to Merrick

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

Famous People Named Merrick

  • Merrick Brian Garland
    U.S. federal judge and Supreme Court nominee
  • Merrick Anthony James
    Lewis, British footballer
  • Merrick Thomson
    Canadian lacross player
  • Zack Merrick
    American bass player in All Time Low
  • John Merrick
    American professional golfer
  • Joseph Merrick
    Englishman with deformities dubbed the "The Elephant Man"
  • Will Merrick
    English actor
  • Merrick Hanna
    robot dancer from America's got talent

The name Merrick in Pop Culture

  • "Merrick
    " book by Anne Rice