Girls' name · since 1939
Meridith
2,652 babies named Meridith in U.S. Social Security records since 1939, with the highest year being 1971. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 2,652
- total births
- 1939–2021
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 33%
- born in that decade
Meridith sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 2,652 recorded since 1939.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meridith has been recorded 2,652 times among girls since 1939, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1939 to 2021.
- 2,652 total births
- 1939–2021 years on record
- 1970s peak decade
- 33% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
Meridith's 2,652 recorded births place it above 95% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
Meridith's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Meridith splits its recorded history at 1979: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1941 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1971 peak of 104 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Meridith popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1939–2021
- Peak year (1971)
- 104
- Annual births at peak, across 83 years of records
Meridith popularity over time - boys
32 total births recorded since 1917 (Meridith as boys' name)
Meridith by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Meridith's strongest decade.
888 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Meridith births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 7
1930s
7 births
- 1940s 111
1940s
111 births
- 1950s 144
1950s
144 births
- 1960s 227
1960s
227 births
- 1970s
1970s
888 births
- 1980s
1980s
655 births
- 1990s
1990s
357 births
- 2000s 188
2000s
188 births
- 2010s 69
2010s
69 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 888 births (33% of all-time use).
How Meridith 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 Meridith's total volume
Meridith vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Meridith by state
Where Meridith concentrates geographically, total births since 1939
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 157 | 5.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 105 | 4.0% |
| #3 | California | | 78 | 2.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 64 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 47 | 1.8% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 45 | 1.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 27 | 1.0% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 23 | 0.9% |
157 of 2,652 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.
Meridith appears in 18 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Meridith's data
- Meridith's decade-level peak was the 1970s (888 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Meridiths (157 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Meridith
Nearby Names Like Meridith
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Meridith
Compare Meridith side by side: Meridith vs Meredith Meridith vs Mercedes Meridith vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1939–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac. "Meridith: Baby Name Since 1939 - 2,652 Births, Peak 1971." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/meridith. 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 Meridith 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 July 2026.