Merritt
Top 1000
About Merritt
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.
Part of the name's considerable appeal may stem from its kinship to the word "merit," making it a modern spin on virtue names like Honor and Grace.
Fun fact about Merritt Wever: She was born Siobhan, another Nameberry favorite name. Merritt is technically her middle name.
Pronounced MER-it.
As of October 2026, Merritt ranked #703 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #304.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,190 | 87 | 48.7 |
| 2015 | #2,308 | 81 | 45.4 |
| 2016 | #1,481 | 155 | 87.5 |
| 2017 | #1,333 | 175 | 101.4 |
| 2018 | #1,458 | 151 | 88.8 |
| 2019 | #1,602 | 133 | 79.2 |
| 2020 | #1,531 | 139 | 86 |
| 2021 | #1,646 | 127 | 77.4 |
| 2022 | #1,543 | 139 | 84.7 |
| 2023 | #1,563 | 136 | 84.8 |
| 2024 | #1,409 | 158 | 97.5 |
| 2025 | #703 | 401 | 249.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Merritt.
- Hollis
- Collier
- Winslow
- Merrit
- Landry
- Beckett
- Bennett
- Greer
- Monty
- Wynn
- Marlo
- Larkin
- Leni
- Wyatt
- Murphy
- Rooney
- Brogan
- Halston
- Jovie
- Cloverley
Merritt on lists
Famous Merritts
- Merritt Elizabeth Mathias
American soccer player
Merritt in pop culture
- Merritt Monaco
character on the tv show “The Perfect Couple”