Unisex name · since 1895
Meredith
77,787 babies named Meredith in U.S. Social Security records since 1895, with the highest year being 1980. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #449 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #469 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 77,787
- born since 1895
- 1980s
- peak decade
Meredith currently ranks #469 among unisex names in America, with 77,787 babies recorded since 1895.
Social Security Administration records show Meredith recorded 77,787 times among girls since 1895, holding rank #469 nationally today, ahead of 97% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1895 to 2025.
- #449 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #469 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 77,787 born since 1895
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meredith ranks #449 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #469 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 77,787 born since 1895, peaking in the 1980s.
- #449 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #469 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 77,787
- born since 1895
- 1980s
- peak decade
Meredith's 77,787 recorded births place it above 99.37% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Meredith compares
77,787 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 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
Meredith's all-time total is 207x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Meredith | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 77,787 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,071 | 21 | 19,840 |
Meredith's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Meredith splits its recorded history at 1963: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1900 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1980 peak of 2,071 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Meredith popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1895–2025
- Peak year (1980)
- 2,071
- Annual births at peak, across 131 years of records
Meredith popularity over time - boys
4,257 total births recorded since 1883 (Meredith as boys' name)
Meredith by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (19,204 births, 25% of the file).
1980s was Meredith's strongest decade.
19,204 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Meredith births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1900s 85
1900s
85 births
- 1910s 464
1910s
464 births
- 1920s 892
1920s
892 births
- 1930s 1,300
1930s
1,300 births
- 1940s 2,901
1940s
2,901 births
- 1950s 2,889
1950s
2,889 births
- 1960s 3,927
1960s
3,927 births
- 1970s
1970s
15,840 births
- 1980s
1980s
19,204 births
- 1990s
1990s
12,779 births
- 2000s
2000s
8,889 births
- 2010s 5,147
2010s
5,147 births
- 2020s 3,464
2020s
3,464 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 19,204 births (25% of all-time use).
How Meredith 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 Meredith's total volume
Meredith by state
Where Meredith concentrates geographically, total births since 1895
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,584 | 8.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 5,232 | 6.7% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 4,659 | 6.0% |
| #4 | California | | 4,343 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 3,743 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 3,703 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 3,494 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 2,836 | 3.6% |
6,584 of 77,787 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Meredith appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Meredith? ▼
Where does Meredith sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Meredith most popular? ▼
Where is Meredith most popular? ▼
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What to do with Meredith's data
- Meredith's decade-level peak was the 1980s (19,204 total births); usage has since declined to 3,464 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Merediths (6,584 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Meredith
Nearby Names Like Meredith
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Meredith
Compare Meredith side by side: Meredith vs Mercedes Meredith vs Merle Meredith vs Mercy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Meredith
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Meredith: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1980)
Similar record span (~130 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1895–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Meredith 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 August 2026.