Girls' name · since 1912
Merriam
351 babies named Merriam in U.S. Social Security records since 1912, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #14,615 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,035 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 351
- born since 1912
- 1920s
- peak decade
351 babies have been named Merriam since 1912, making it today's #15035 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Merriam recorded 351 times among girls since 1912, holding rank #15035 nationally today, ahead of 13% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #14,615 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,035 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 351 born since 1912
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merriam ranks #14,615 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,035 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 351 born since 1912, peaking in the 1920s.
- #14,615 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,035 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 351
- born since 1912
- 1920s
- peak decade
Merriam's 351 recorded births place it above 79.79% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Merriam compares
351 48th percentile among 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
Merriam's all-time total is 7% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merriam | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 351 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16 | 21 | 19,840 |
Merriam's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Merriam splits its recorded history at 1936: 42% of all births land in the more recent half, 58% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1912 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1922 peak of 16 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Merriam popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Merriam by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (96 births, 27% of the file).
1920s was Merriam's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Merriam births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
72 births
- 1920s
1920s
96 births
- 1930s
1930s
55 births
- 1940s
1940s
64 births
- 1950s 32
1950s
32 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 11
2000s
11 births
- 2010s 6
2010s
6 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 96 births (27% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Merriam? ▼
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What to do with Merriam's data
- Merriam's decade-level peak was the 1920s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Merriam
Nearby Names Like Merriam
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merriam
Compare Merriam side by side: Merriam vs Meredith Merriam vs Mercedes Merriam vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merriam
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Merriam: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~113 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, 1912–2025 (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 Merriam 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.