Merit
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Merit
Merritt is an English surname but spelled Merit it becomes a word name. Both variations are on the rise.
Merit for girls#3154 US
Short, concise, and cheerful, Merit is a name with several possible roots. From its English origins, it could be viewed as a virtue name, celebrating commendable good behaviour. Equally, it could be seen as a streamlined form of Merritt, an Old English surname meaning "boundary". Rising in the US, albeit slowly, Merit may be given to more babies in coming years, due to the recent interest in unusual virtue names, last names as first names, and for word names.
Alternatively, Merit can be used as a variation of the Estonian Maret or the Swedish Marit, both of which ultimately derive from the classic Margaret. In this case, the name would mean "pearl".
Finally, Merit (also spelled Meryt) was an Ancient Egyptian name, derived from mryt meaning "beloved one". It is the feminine form of mrj or Meri, meaning "loved" or "desired". This could then link the name to the Biblical Mary, which some scholars believe came from the same Egyptian root, to mean "beloved".
Pronounced MER-it.
As of October 2026, Merit ranked #4640 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3447 in 1922.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #4,640 | 22 | #3,154 | 51 |
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