Girls' name · since 1917
Meri
Meri has 2,502 recorded births since 1917 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1961 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,046 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,174 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,502
- born since 1917
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Meri is the #10174 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,502 recorded since 1917.
Social Security Administration records show Meri recorded 2,502 times among girls since 1917, holding rank #10174 nationally today, ahead of 41% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #4,046 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,174 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 2,502 born since 1917
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meri ranks #4,046 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,174 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,502 born since 1917, peaking in the 1960s.
- #4,046 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,174 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,502
- born since 1917
- 1960s
- peak decade
Meri's 2,502 recorded births place it above 94.4% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
12 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Meri compares
2,502 Top 20% higher than 80% 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
Meri's all-time total is 7x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Meri | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,502 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 89 | 21 | 19,840 |
Meri's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Meri's full recorded timeline at 1979, 26% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 74% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1917, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 89 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Meri popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 89
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Meri by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (644 births, 26% of the file).
1960s was Meri's strongest decade.
644 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Meri births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 11
1910s
11 births
- 1920s 20
1920s
20 births
- 1930s 15
1930s
15 births
- 1940s
1940s
265 births
- 1950s
1950s
543 births
- 1960s
1960s
644 births
- 1970s
1970s
379 births
- 1980s 180
1980s
180 births
- 1990s 157
1990s
157 births
- 2000s 133
2000s
133 births
- 2010s 91
2010s
91 births
- 2020s 64
2020s
64 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 644 births (26% of all-time use).
How Meri 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 Meri's total volume
Meri by state
Where Meri concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 143 | 5.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 128 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 50 | 2.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 46 | 1.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 42 | 1.7% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 15 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Washington | | 14 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 13 | 0.5% |
143 of 2,502 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.
Meri appears in 12 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Meri? ▼
Where does Meri sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Meri most popular? ▼
Where is Meri most popular? ▼
How long has the name Meri been used? ▼
What names are similar to Meri? ▼
What to do with Meri's data
- Meri's decade-level peak was the 1960s (644 total births); usage has since declined to 64 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Meris (143 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Meri
Nearby Names Like Meri
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Meri
Compare Meri side by side: Meri vs Meredith Meri vs Mercedes Meri vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Meri
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Meri: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1961)
Similar record span (~108 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, 1917–2025 (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 Meri 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.