Unisex name · since 1880
Merrill
Merrill has 12,988 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1926 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,049 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,145 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,988
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Merrill is the #6145 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 12,988 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrill has been recorded 12,988 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #6145 nationally and more common than 56% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,049 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,145 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 12,988 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrill ranks #1,049 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,145 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 12,988 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,049 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,145 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,988
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Merrill's 12,988 recorded births place it above 97.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Merrill compares
12,988 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Merrill's all-time total is 35x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merrill | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,988 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 305 | 34 | 22,252 |
Merrill's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Merrill's SSA record in two at 1952 and the more recent half accounts for 24% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 76%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1886, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1926 peak of 305, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Merrill popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1926)
- 305
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Merrill popularity over time - girls
2,077 total births recorded since 1905 (Merrill as girls' name)
Merrill by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,820 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Merrill's strongest decade.
2,820 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Merrill births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 111
1880s
111 births
- 1890s 201
1890s
201 births
- 1900s 317
1900s
317 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,880 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,820 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,298 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,941 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,446 births
- 1960s 774
1960s
774 births
- 1970s 468
1970s
468 births
- 1980s 318
1980s
318 births
- 1990s 192
1990s
192 births
- 2000s 84
2000s
84 births
- 2010s 91
2010s
91 births
- 2020s 47
2020s
47 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,820 births (22% of all-time use).
How Merrill 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 Merrill's total volume
Merrill by state
Where Merrill concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 884 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Indiana | | 669 | 5.2% |
| #3 | Iowa | | 649 | 5.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 611 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 611 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 566 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Utah | | 552 | 4.3% |
| #8 | California | | 493 | 3.8% |
884 of 12,988 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Merrill appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Merrill? ▼
Where does Merrill sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Merrill most popular? ▼
Where is Merrill most popular? ▼
Is Merrill a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Merrill been used? ▼
What names are similar to Merrill? ▼
What to do with Merrill's data
- Merrill's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,820 total births); usage has since declined to 47 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Merrills (884 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Merrill
Nearby Names Like Merrill
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merrill
Compare Merrill side by side: Merrill vs Merle Merrill vs Merlin Merrill vs Mervin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merrill
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Merrill: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1926)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Merrill 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.