Merrill

#10,917 for girls in 2025, 8 births · #6,143 for boys in 2025, 14 births
Given to boys 86.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1916 · 270 births
Debut · boys
13 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
12,988
since 1880

Merrill over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201966peak #1,229, 1942peak #320, 1916girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#10,9178#6,14314
2024#12,1617#10,9386
2023#9,7637
2022#12,2437#8,9908
2021#9,56210#10,7996
2020#10,2509#10,6056
2019#8,59712#7,64310
2018#13,7936#8,8198
2017#12,7137#10,7756
2016#7,98814#7,15711
2015#8,93112#6,67612
2014#13,0697#9,6427
2013#11,9698#10,7286
2012#9,71111#8,8648
2011#11,1819#7,00911
2010#10,45110#6,69812
2009#10,67910#10,9946
2008#9,47612#7,18711
2007#9,53912#8,1739
2006#8,23714#8,7328
2005#13,0107#5,87513
2004#9,26411#6,52011
2003#10,4259#6,71510
2002#9,48210
2001#10,1029#8,3397
2000#9,16310#6,8399
1999#5,89617#3,83419
1998#8,58410#6,3149
1997#9,8028#4,24615
1996#8,13210#4,39614
1995#5,43917#3,55918
1994#5,71316#3,91116
1993#6,62213#3,04222
1992#5,05119#3,33819
1991#5,65916#2,05236
1990#4,69420#2,69524
1989#5,04917#2,90221
1988#6,66611#3,07917
1987#5,31214#1,93832
1986#3,75722#2,36023
1985#4,28218#2,07127
1984#5,22213#1,76432
1983#5,14813#1,49041
1982#4,94514#1,77432
1981#3,73921#1,45643
1980#3,41124#1,32450
1979#9,0106#1,30450
1978#5,21412#1,25851
1977#5,53211#1,31247
1976#5,60110#1,19052
1975#5,51610#1,34542
1974#4,72012#1,24445
1973#4,15514#1,32939
1972#3,54317#1,30741
1971#3,78916#1,13852
1970#3,31119#1,17849
1969#2,91721#1,01757
1968#2,12632#89864
1967#3,84512#91562
1966#2,19129#98455
1965#2,83319#88169
1964#2,60023#89572
1963#2,30627#78594
1962#2,60522#80888
1961#1,92136#762102
1960#2,01332#730111
1959#2,05430#752102
1958#1,79137#701114
1957#2,06728#628149
1956#1,93131#611153
1955#1,49846#608148
1954#1,42250#593155
1953#1,35851#590149
1952#1,38649#546163
1951#1,39645#562149
1950#1,27652#521164
1949#1,26552#542151
1948#1,49938#516163
1947#1,39744#480194
1946#1,39439#460191
1945#1,40233#454171
1944#2,40114#460174
1943#1,70325#391242
1942#1,22942#399230
1941#1,81020#401210
1940#1,84519#388215
1939#2,41712#372235
1938#1,75220#384215
1937#1,73520#365221
1936#2,03215#353233
1935#1,60622#397188
1934#2,42412#355239
1933#2,16114#377207
1932#2,23514#355243
1931#2,42712#341257
1930#3,3458#352260
1929#2,09816#342269
1928#2,09417#342278
1927#3,2849#343284
1926#2,25716#331305
1925#2,11918#340292
1924#2,66113#368266
1923#2,46514#354278
1922#4,4456#355276
1921#2,63313#358283
1920#2,17217#345289
1919#3,4528#338279
1918#2,10217#333296
1917#2,31614#347257
1916#2,02816#320270
1915#2,52611#325261
1914#2,26510#367166
1913#2,8276#357136
1912#1,62012#346119
1911#36857
1910#44039
1909#1,9576#36542
1908#40334
1907#38833
1906#1,9515#36333
1905#1,9315#34635
1904#34434
1903#34631
1902#38826
1901#35926
1900#47723
1899#34627
1898#37727
1897#41121
1896#40723
1895#38325
1894#50216
1893#34926
1892#64111
1891#56411
1890#51114
1889#6739
1888#52814
1887#51612
1886#9595
1885#60410
1884#57011
1883#38120
1882#61110
1881#7067
1880#50513
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Merrill was already there! It came in at #505, and was given to 13 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2002, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Merrill
Momentum · boys
Rising
  • 4,795 spots since 2024 (#10,938#6,143)
  • 4,462 spots since 2020 (#10,605#6,143)
  • 533 spots since 2015 (#6,676#6,143)
  • Biggest jump: 443 spots in 1887 (#959#516)
  • Biggest drop: 355 spots in 1886 (#604#959)
Rise & fade · boys
36 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1916 at #320 (270 births)
  • Births halved by 1958, 42 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 89 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 89 yrs · run 1880–1968
Share of babies · boys
1 in 3,251
  • Highest: 1 in 3,251 boys born in 1915 were named Merrill (0.03%)
  • Latest: 1 in 122,005 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #320 in 1916, was only 1 in 3,297 (0.03%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 21.7% of all boys named Merrill (2,820) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2025
  • Mostly girls until 2024, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s111#381 (1883)#605
1890s201#346 (1899)#449
1900s317#344 (1904)#378
1910s1,880#320 (1916)#354
1920s2,820#331 (1926)#348
1930s2,298#341 (1931)#365
1940s1,941#388 (1940)#449
1950s1,446#521 (1950)#611
1960s774#730 (1960)#868
1970s468#1,138 (1971)#1,261
1980s318#1,324 (1980)#2,016
1990s192#2,052 (1991)#3,739
2000s84#5,875 (2005)#7,708
2010s91#6,676 (2015)#8,401
2020s47#6,143 (2025)#9,540

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Merrill in 1966

girls
#2,191
29 births · 1 in 58,351 girls
boys
#984
55 births · 1 in 32,427 boys

Top girls' names in 1966

  1. #1Lisa56,918
  2. #2Kimberly32,232
  3. #3Mary28,890
  4. #4Michelle27,159
  5. #5Karen25,450
  6. #6Susan23,776
  7. #7Patricia20,112
  8. #8Tammy18,621
  9. #9Angela18,532
  10. #10Jennifer18,215
  11. #2,191Merrill29

Top boys' names in 1966

  1. #1Michael79,985
  2. #2David66,408
  3. #3James65,163
  4. #4John65,016
  5. #5Robert59,317
  6. #6William38,237
  7. #7Mark34,801
  8. #8Richard34,457
  9. #9Jeffrey30,200
  10. #10Thomas29,003
  11. #984Merrill55
More about 1966

girls

1,692,177 girls got a published name in 1966; 1 in 58,351 of them was named Merrill, which outranked 71.3% of the 7,624 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Merrill
  1. #2,147Toi30
  2. #2,147Vanda30
  3. #2,147Vena30
  4. #2,191Merrill29
  5. #2,191Antonietta29
  6. #2,191Beryl29
  7. #2,191Brunilda29
  8. #2,249Andera28
  9. #2,249Andree28
  10. #2,249Angelena28

Tied with 57 names at #2,191; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1965
Risers
  1. 6,121Tabatha#6,539#418
  2. 1,469Tabitha#1,993#524
  3. 1,325Joell#2,247#922
  4. 1,047Tatia#1,715#668
  5. 969Nichole#1,829#860
Fallers
  1. 398Barb#815#1,213
  2. 310Jewell#952#1,262
  3. 288Roxie#944#1,232
  4. 284Aretha#818#1,102
  5. 280Kecia#392#672

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,783,461 boys got a published name in 1966; 1 in 32,427 of them was named Merrill, which outranked 78.3% of the 4,540 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Merrill
  1. #968Renard56
  2. #968Roderic56
  3. #968Sharon56
  4. #984Merrill55
  5. #984Audie55
  6. #984Cedrick55
  7. #984Daryn55
  8. #991Anibal54
  9. #991Carnell54
  10. #991Darcy54

Tied with 6 names at #984; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1965
Risers
  1. 1,207Jarrod#1,720#513
  2. 893Heath#1,254#361
  3. 467Illya#1,294#827
  4. 419Jarrett#1,294#875
  5. 399Reynold#1,360#961
Fallers
  1. 464Quint#986#1,450
  2. 303Dario#934#1,237
  3. 299Darran#1,000#1,299
  4. 281Artie#897#1,178
  5. 268Daryn#716#984

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1966