Total births
10,632
Girls' name · since 1881
Mercy
Mercy has 10,632 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2019 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #845
- among girls today
- 10,632
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Mercy currently ranks #845 among girls' names in America, with 10,632 babies recorded since 1881.
Mercy has 10,632 recorded births among girls since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #845 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #845 among girls today
- 10,632 born since 1881
- 2010s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mercy is currently the #845 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 10,632 born since 1881, peaking in the 2010s.
- #845
- among girls today
- 10,632
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Mercy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#845
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Mercy was born in this single decade.
2019
Single peak year
441 babies were named Mercy in 2019 - its busiest year on record.
How Mercy compares
10,632 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Mercy's all-time total is 28x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mercy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,632 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 441 | 48 | 19,840 |
Mercy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mercy's full recorded timeline at 1957, 83% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 17% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2019 peak of 441 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mercy at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2019
Current rank
#845
Active since
1881
Mercy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 441
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Mercy popularity over time - boys
232 total births recorded since 1919 (Mercy as boys' name)
Mercy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Mercy's strongest decade.
3,136 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Mercy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 53
1880s
53 births
- 1890s 25
1890s
25 births
- 1900s 61
1900s
61 births
- 1910s 187
1910s
187 births
- 1920s 359
1920s
359 births
- 1930s 368
1930s
368 births
- 1940s 397
1940s
397 births
- 1950s 494
1950s
494 births
- 1960s 371
1960s
371 births
- 1970s 531
1970s
531 births
- 1980s 421
1980s
421 births
- 1990s 677
1990s
677 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,533 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,136 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,019 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 3,136 births (29% of all-time use).
How Mercy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Mercy's total volume
Mercy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Mercy by state
Where Mercy concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,647 | 15.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,093 | 10.3% |
| #3 | Arizona | | 433 | 4.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 368 | 3.5% |
| #5 | New York | | 331 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 283 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 230 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 212 | 2.0% |
California share of Mercy's total US births 15.5%
Even split
1,647 of 10,632 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Mercy appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mercy? ▼
Mercy has been given to 10,632 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #845 as of the latest data. 441 babies were born in 2019, its single highest year.
When was Mercy most popular? ▼
Mercy was most popular in the 2010s decade with 3,136 total births. The single peak year was 2019.
Where is Mercy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mercy are California (1,647 births), Texas (1,093 births), Arizona (433 births).
How long has the name Mercy been used? ▼
Mercy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 145 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Mercy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Meredith, Mercedes, Merle, Merry, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Mercy's data
- Mercy's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (3,136 total births) through the 2020s (2,019) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Mercys (1,647 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mercy
Nearby Names Like Mercy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mercy
Meredith Girl
#492 77,787 births
Mercedes Girl
#1446 46,206 births
Merle Girl
14,723 births
Merry Girl
#6942 10,369 births
Meryl Girl
#5450 5,167 births
Compare Mercy side by side: Mercy vs Meredith Mercy vs Mercedes Mercy vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mercy
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mercy: #845 Girls' Name - 10,632 Births, Peak 2019." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mercy. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Mercy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.