Mercy
Mercy was given to 313 girls in 2025, #867 among girls’ names; 10,864 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 9,460 Americans named Mercy and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (87% of everyone recorded); the median is 14 years old and half are between 7 and 29.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Mercy by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Mercy mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Mercy is “a female given name from English.”
From mercy in the 17th century; one of the less common Puritan virtue names. In modern use sometimes used to anglicize Spanish Mercedes.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Mercy?
#867 among girls’ names, 2025
Mercy rose from #1,013 in 2015 to #867 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.15 to 0.19 per 1,000.
461 babies in 2019, the peak
Mercy peaked in 2019, when 461 babies were given it (441 girls, #661 among girls’ names). The 338 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 73% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 313 | #867 | 0.19 |
| 2024 | 320 | #847 | 0.20 |
| 2023 | 329 | #834 | 0.21 |
| 2022 | 355 | #797 | 0.22 |
| 2021 | 363 | #781 | 0.22 |
| 2020 | 339 | #801 | 0.21 |
| 2019 | 441 | #661 | 0.26 |
| 2018 | 392 | #726 | 0.23 |
| 2017 | 367 | #759 | 0.21 |
| 2016 | 360 | #792 | 0.20 |
Every recorded year (137)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 265 | #1,013 | 0.15 |
| 2014 | 289 | #935 | 0.16 |
| 2013 | 314 | #840 | 0.18 |
| 2012 | 255 | #991 | 0.14 |
| 2011 | 246 | #1,017 | 0.14 |
| 2010 | 207 | #1,179 | 0.12 |
| 2009 | 193 | #1,266 | 0.11 |
| 2008 | 182 | #1,347 | 0.10 |
| 2007 | 176 | #1,379 | 0.09 |
| 2006 | 163 | #1,395 | 0.09 |
| 2005 | 159 | #1,364 | 0.09 |
| 2004 | 150 | #1,392 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 156 | #1,323 | 0.09 |
| 2002 | 111 | #1,665 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 131 | #1,440 | 0.07 |
| 2000 | 112 | #1,583 | 0.06 |
| 1999 | 88 | #1,818 | 0.05 |
| 1998 | 72 | #2,057 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 102 | #1,577 | 0.06 |
| 1996 | 85 | #1,761 | 0.05 |
| 1995 | 69 | #1,993 | 0.04 |
| 1994 | 59 | #2,241 | 0.03 |
| 1993 | 52 | #2,430 | 0.03 |
| 1992 | 47 | #2,631 | 0.03 |
| 1991 | 50 | #2,496 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 53 | #2,362 | 0.03 |
| 1989 | 43 | #2,633 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 42 | #2,571 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 40 | #2,554 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 33 | #2,885 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 45 | #2,277 | 0.03 |
| 1984 | 33 | #2,764 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 40 | #2,385 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 46 | #2,205 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 49 | #2,107 | 0.03 |
| 1980 | 50 | #2,087 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 57 | #1,867 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 36 | #2,456 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 52 | #1,914 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 38 | #2,240 | 0.03 |
| 1975 | 70 | #1,470 | 0.05 |
| 1974 | 69 | #1,457 | 0.05 |
| 1973 | 56 | #1,637 | 0.04 |
| 1972 | 53 | #1,686 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 51 | #1,767 | 0.03 |
| 1970 | 49 | #1,818 | 0.03 |
| 1969 | 47 | #1,798 | 0.03 |
| 1968 | 27 | #2,404 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 30 | #2,200 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 31 | #2,135 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 32 | #2,098 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 44 | #1,767 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 42 | #1,803 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 33 | #2,056 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 33 | #2,057 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 52 | #1,549 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 45 | #1,632 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 57 | #1,414 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 51 | #1,501 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 41 | #1,673 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 55 | #1,358 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 68 | #1,216 | 0.04 |
| 1953 | 52 | #1,354 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 44 | #1,464 | 0.02 |
| 1951 | 44 | #1,425 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 37 | #1,542 | 0.02 |
| 1949 | 29 | #1,790 | 0.02 |
| 1948 | 39 | #1,484 | 0.02 |
| 1947 | 40 | #1,500 | 0.02 |
| 1946 | 45 | #1,299 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 41 | #1,254 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 41 | #1,246 | 0.03 |
| 1943 | 38 | #1,334 | 0.03 |
| 1942 | 46 | #1,174 | 0.03 |
| 1941 | 41 | #1,178 | 0.03 |
| 1940 | 37 | #1,212 | 0.03 |
| 1939 | 37 | #1,212 | 0.03 |
| 1938 | 34 | #1,260 | 0.03 |
| 1937 | 41 | #1,126 | 0.04 |
| 1936 | 38 | #1,159 | 0.04 |
| 1935 | 37 | #1,178 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 47 | #1,016 | 0.05 |
| 1933 | 28 | #1,389 | 0.03 |
| 1932 | 34 | #1,257 | 0.03 |
| 1931 | 30 | #1,365 | 0.03 |
| 1930 | 42 | #1,155 | 0.04 |
| 1929 | 51 | #1,024 | 0.05 |
| 1928 | 45 | #1,144 | 0.04 |
| 1927 | 43 | #1,187 | 0.04 |
| 1926 | 33 | #1,407 | 0.03 |
| 1925 | 35 | #1,364 | 0.03 |
| 1924 | 45 | #1,180 | 0.04 |
| 1923 | 25 | #1,712 | 0.02 |
| 1922 | 27 | #1,635 | 0.02 |
| 1921 | 27 | #1,654 | 0.02 |
| 1920 | 28 | #1,573 | 0.02 |
| 1919 | 29 | #1,472 | 0.03 |
| 1918 | 25 | #1,629 | 0.02 |
| 1917 | 25 | #1,539 | 0.02 |
| 1916 | 29 | #1,373 | 0.03 |
| 1915 | 14 | #2,211 | 0.01 |
| 1914 | 22 | #1,369 | 0.03 |
| 1913 | 11 | #1,980 | 0.02 |
| 1912 | 10 | #1,935 | 0.02 |
| 1911 | 12 | #1,420 | 0.03 |
| 1910 | 10 | #1,590 | 0.03 |
| 1909 | 10 | #1,440 | 0.03 |
| 1908 | 6 | #2,025 | 0.02 |
| 1907 | 5 | #2,276 | 0.02 |
| 1905 | 5 | #2,136 | 0.02 |
| 1904 | 9 | #1,335 | 0.03 |
| 1903 | 7 | #1,528 | 0.03 |
| 1902 | 7 | #1,542 | 0.03 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,863 | 0.02 |
| 1900 | 7 | #1,681 | 0.02 |
| 1896 | 7 | #1,381 | 0.03 |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,584 | 0.02 |
| 1892 | 7 | #1,235 | 0.03 |
| 1891 | 6 | #1,295 | 0.03 |
| 1889 | 10 | #884 | 0.06 |
| 1888 | 5 | #1,418 | 0.03 |
| 1887 | 6 | #1,112 | 0.04 |
| 1886 | 6 | #1,063 | 0.04 |
| 1884 | 5 | #1,113 | 0.04 |
| 1883 | 5 | #1,003 | 0.04 |
| 1882 | 7 | #791 | 0.06 |
| 1881 | 9 | #611 | 0.10 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Mercy a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 10,864 Americans recorded as Mercy, 98% are girls and 2% boys. In 2025 it went to 313 girls and 25 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Mercy: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Mercy, and how old are they?
9,460 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 87% of the 10,864 Americans ever recorded as Mercy. The median Mercy alive today is 14 years old; half are between 7 and 29.
The 2020 Census counted 12,795 people named Mercy (12,591 women and girls, 204 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 7,639 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.7 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 210 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 661 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 697 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 765 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,480 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,640 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Mercy born?
The states with the most babies named Mercy are Texas, California and Georgia, with 27% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 35 | #854 | 1.1× |
| California | 23 | #1,136 | 1.3× |
| Georgia | 17 | #637 | 0.8× |
| Tennessee | 17 | #470 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 14 | #719 | 0.6× |
| Florida | 12 | #1,222 | 0.7× |
| Indiana | 11 | #603 | 0.8× |
| Washington | 11 | #609 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 10 | #768 | 0.4× |
| Maryland | 9 | #585 | 0.8× |
Where Mercy is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Mercy is most over-represented in Arizona: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Mercy with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 12,753 babies since 1880, Mercy is the most given (85% of them). In 2025 it was given to 338 of their 404 babies (84%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Mercy
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Mercy and names like it
- Compare Mercy and MerciBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sMercy peaked in 2019.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Mercy since 1910.
- English namesWiktionary’s origin for Mercy: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2019The year the most babies were named Mercy.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Mercy alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with MMost given first.