Every name given to a US baby since 1880, ranked year by year — straight from Social Security Administration birth records. 105,966 names · 375,362,447 births · public domain.

Merita

#6,519 most common girls' name of all time · #10,993 across all names · 0% male / 100% female · used 1912–1999

Rank among girls
#6,519
Rank overall
#10,993 of 105,966
First appeared
1912
Years on the list
75 of 146
All-time
1,121
Since 2016
0
Peak year
1955 #1,506
Best rank
#1,466 1940
Girls Boys peak 46/yr
1920194019601980

Merita first appears in 1912. 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

YearGirlsBoysTotalRank
1999 7 7 #11,471
1997 9 9 #9,101
1996 6 6 #11,931
1995 7 7 #10,618
1994 7 7 #10,686
1993 5 5 #13,618
1992 5 5 #13,479
1988 5 5 #11,986
1986 7 7 #8,652
1984 8 8 #7,492
1983 5 5 #10,453
1982 5 5 #10,674
1980 7 7 #8,292
1979 7 7 #8,181
1978 9 9 #6,474
1977 6 6 #8,601
1976 5 5 #9,505
1974 8 8 #6,371
1972 8 8 #6,066
1971 5 5 #8,527
1970 16 16 #3,751
1969 10 10 #4,800
1968 13 13 #3,851
1967 12 12 #3,897
1966 11 11 #4,024
1965 15 15 #3,311
1964 23 23 #2,626
1963 20 20 #2,816
1962 15 15 #3,345
1961 23 23 #2,572
1960 17 17 #3,031
1959 30 30 #2,076
1958 23 23 #2,412
1957 33 33 #1,916
1956 35 35 #1,815
1955 46 46 #1,506
1954 29 29 #1,964
1953 27 27 #1,999
1952 25 25 #2,046
1951 28 28 #1,864
1950 26 26 #1,891
1949 29 29 #1,789
1948 28 28 #1,799
1947 27 27 #1,883
1946 18 18 #2,286
1945 13 13 #2,536
1944 18 18 #2,068
1943 23 23 #1,817
1942 20 20 #1,961
1941 22 22 #1,729
1940 28 28 #1,466
1939 21 21 #1,719
1938 16 16 #2,084
1937 25 25 #1,528
1936 15 15 #2,108
1935 18 18 #1,900
1934 18 18 #1,890
1933 11 11 #2,639
1932 20 20 #1,803
1931 12 12 #2,539
1930 20 20 #1,859
1929 13 13 #2,556
1928 15 15 #2,356
1927 6 6 #4,499
1926 8 8 #3,717
1925 10 10 #3,264
1924 9 9 #3,554
1923 8 8 #3,815
1922 8 8 #3,864
1921 6 6 #4,726
1920 6 6 #4,658
1918 5 5 #5,078
1917 7 7 #3,925
1914 5 5 #3,941
1912 5 5 #3,398