Merit
Girl name · #3140 in 2025 · Uniqueness 44/100
In 2025, 51 baby girls were named Merit, placing it at #3140 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #8931, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 35,294 girls born in 2025 was named Merit.
Babies named Merit per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 60-year story
Merit first appears in the Social Security records in 1965, when 6 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 51 babies and a rank of #3130. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Merit against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Merit in class?
Merit scores 44 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Merit is most common
State-level data for Merit is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Merit
Statistically, parents drawn to Merit tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Maela, Mayli, Miral, Summit, and Mehar.
MaelaMayliMiralSummitMeharHayatMaizeeMiraya
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Merit | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | #3130 |
| 2024 | 15 | #7251 |
| 2023 | 26 | #4999 |
| 2022 | 14 | #7631 |
| 2021 | 14 | #7630 |
| 2020 | 11 | #8953 |
| 2019 | 16 | #7025 |
| 2018 | 8 | #11427 |
| 2017 | 13 | #8299 |
| 2016 | 11 | #9411 |
| 2015 | 12 | #8931 |
| 2014 | 9 | #10955 |
| 2013 | 11 | #9612 |
| 2012 | 8 | #12199 |
| 2011 | 7 | #13347 |
| 2010 | 14 | #8271 |
| 2008 | 6 | #15405 |
| 2007 | 7 | #13924 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11417 |
| 2005 | 9 | #10921 |
| 2004 | 6 | #14179 |
| 2003 | 5 | #15784 |
| 1991 | 5 | #13147 |
| 1986 | 6 | #9545 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10392 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Merit a popular girl name?
Merit ranked #3140 among girls in 2025 with 51 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #8931.
When was the name Merit most popular?
Merit peaked in 2025, when 51 American girls received the name (ranked #3130 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Merit?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 35,294 newborn American girls was named Merit. It scores 44/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.