Merit**
#10,487 most common girls' name of all time · #17,405 across all names · 42% male / 58% female · used 1918–2025 · genuinely unisex
Rank among girls
#10,487
Rank overall
#17,405 of 105,966
First appeared
1918
Years on the list
34 of 146
All-time
544
Since 2016
317
Peak year
2025 #3,137
Best rank
#3,137 2025
Girls
Boys
peak 73/yr
Merit first appears in 1918. That's the first year it was given to at least 5 US babies, which is the threshold below which the SSA withholds a name.
Year by year
| Year | Girls | Boys | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | 22 | 73 | #3,137 |
| 2024 | 15 | 14 | 29 | #7,312 |
| 2023 | 26 | 11 | 37 | #5,018 |
| 2022 | 14 | 13 | 27 | #7,672 |
| 2021 | 14 | 11 | 25 | #7,669 |
| 2020 | 11 | 15 | 26 | #9,028 |
| 2019 | 16 | 12 | 28 | #7,072 |
| 2018 | 8 | 11 | 19 | #11,530 |
| 2017 | 13 | 14 | 27 | #8,359 |
| 2016 | 11 | 15 | 26 | #9,491 |
| 2015 | 12 | 10 | 22 | #8,998 |
| 2014 | 9 | 16 | 25 | #11,052 |
| 2013 | 11 | 10 | 21 | #9,671 |
| 2012 | 8 | — | 8 | #12,322 |
| 2011 | 7 | 6 | 13 | #13,488 |
| 2010 | 14 | 9 | 23 | #8,315 |
| 2009 | — | 5 | 5 | — |
| 2008 | 6 | 6 | 12 | #15,579 |
| 2007 | 7 | — | 7 | #14,068 |
| 2006 | 9 | — | 9 | #11,525 |
| 2005 | 9 | — | 9 | #11,030 |
| 2004 | 6 | — | 6 | #14,345 |
| 2003 | 5 | — | 5 | #15,987 |
| 1991 | 5 | — | 5 | #13,413 |
| 1986 | 6 | — | 6 | #9,751 |
| 1980 | 5 | — | 5 | #10,662 |
| 1970 | 7 | — | 7 | #6,556 |
| 1969 | 5 | — | 5 | #7,736 |
| 1965 | 6 | — | 6 | #6,043 |
| 1947 | — | 5 | 5 | — |
| 1922 | — | 8 | 8 | — |
| 1921 | — | 5 | 5 | — |
| 1919 | — | 5 | 5 | — |
| 1918 | — | 5 | 5 | — |