Unisex name · since 1905

Merrick

Since 1905, U.S. Social Security records show 5,792 babies named Merrick, peaking in 2018. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,627 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,184 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,792
born since 1905
2010s
peak decade

5,792 babies have been named Merrick since 1905, making it today's #1184 unisex name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrick has been recorded 5,792 times among boys since 1905, currently ranked #1184 nationally and more common than 92% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1905 to 2025.

  • #1,627 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,184 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 5,792 born since 1905
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrick ranks #1,627 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,184 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,792 born since 1905, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,627 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,184 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,792
born since 1905
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%91.5%
Merrick vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Merrick's 5,792 recorded births place it above 96.42% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

32 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

32 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Merrick compares

5,792 Top 12% higher than 88% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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

Merrick's all-time total is 16x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Merrick Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 5,792 369 358,536
Peak-year births 274 34 22,252

Merrick's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Merrick splits its recorded history at 1972: 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 1905 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 274 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Merrick popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1905–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2018)
274
Annual births at peak, across 121 years of records
0100200300 190519291946196019741988200220162025 174

Merrick popularity over time - girls

519 total births recorded since 1962 (Merrick as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 519 births
0510152025 196219851996200120062011201620212025 17

Merrick by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (1,899 births, 33% of the file).

2010s was Merrick's strongest decade.

1,899 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.

Merrick births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,899 births (33% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Merrick compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Merrick's total volume

Merrick vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -137, 1.6%-144, 2.7%-146, 2.4%-146, 2.6%-37, 30.9%-38, 4.6%-146, 2.7%-31, 9.3%-58, 13.4%-53, 6.6%-113, 2.4%-146, 1.9%-79, 3.3%-63, 7.1%-62, 3.3%Merrick-121, 4.7%Merrick
Merrick vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Merrick by state

Where Merrick concentrates geographically, total births since 1905

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Merrick
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
608 10.5%
#2 Texas
336 5.8%
#3 Florida
277 4.8%
#4 Ohio
140 2.4%
#5 Washington
121 2.1%
#6 Michigan
119 2.1%
#7 Illinois
105 1.8%
#8 New York
102 1.8%
California share of Merrick's total US births 10.5%
Even split

608 of 5,792 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.

Merrick appears in 32 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Merrick?
Since 1905, Social Security records show 5,792 babies named Merrick. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #1,627 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #1,184 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2018, with 274 births.
Where does Merrick sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrick ranks #1,627 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,184 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Merrick most popular?
Merrick was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,899 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Merrick most popular?
The top states for the name Merrick are California (608 births), Texas (336 births), Florida (277 births).
Is Merrick a unisex name?
Yes, Merrick is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 5,792 births, and as a girl's name it has 519 births.
How long has the name Merrick been used?
The SSA has tracked Merrick since 1905 -- 121 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Merrick?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Merle, Merlin, Merrill, Mervin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Merrick's data

  • Merrick's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,899 total births) through the 2020s (1,182) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Merricks (608 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 Merrick

Nearby Names Like Merrick

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merrick

Names with a similar popularity rank to Merrick

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Merrick: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1905–2025 (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 Merrick 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.