Total births
1,037
Girls' name · since 1936
Merrily
1,037 babies named Merrily in U.S. Social Security records since 1936, with the highest year being 1942. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #13660
- among girls today
- 1,037
- born since 1936
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other girls
Merrily currently ranks #13660 among girls' names in America, with 1,037 babies recorded since 1936.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merrily has been recorded 1,037 times among girls since 1936, currently ranked #13660 nationally and more common than 23% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1936 to 2025.
- #13660 among girls today
- 1,037 born since 1936
- 1940s peak decade
- 23% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Merrily is currently the #13660 girls' name in America, more common than 23% of girls - 1,037 born since 1936, peaking in the 1940s.
- #13660
- among girls today
- 1,037
- born since 1936
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other girls
Merrily vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#13660
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 23% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
62% of everyone ever named Merrily was born in this single decade.
1942
Single peak year
210 babies were named Merrily in 1942 - its busiest year on record.
How Merrily compares
1,037 Top 31% higher than 69% of 17,726 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
Merrily's all-time total is 171% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merrily | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,037 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 210 | 48 | 19,840 |
Merrily's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Merrily splits its recorded history at 1962: 19% of all births land in the more recent half, 81% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1936 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1942 peak of 210 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Merrily at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1942
Current rank
#13,660
Active since
1936
Merrily popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1936–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 210
- Annual births at peak, across 90 years of records
Merrily by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Merrily's strongest decade.
638 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 62% of all-time use.
Merrily births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 12
1930s
12 births
- 1940s
1940s
638 births
- 1950s 171
1950s
171 births
- 1960s 111
1960s
111 births
- 1970s 67
1970s
67 births
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2020s 11
2020s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 638 births (62% of all-time use).
How Merrily 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 Merrily's total volume
Merrily vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Merrily by state
Where Merrily concentrates geographically, total births since 1936
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 74 | 7.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 62 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 58 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Washington | | 49 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 30 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 27 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 22 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 18 | 1.7% |
California share of Merrily's total US births 7.1%
Even split
74 of 1,037 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Merrily appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Merrily? ▼
1,037 babies have been named Merrily since 1936. It currently ranks #13660 among girls. The peak year was 1942 with 210 births.
When was Merrily most popular? ▼
Merrily was most popular in the 1940s decade with 638 total births. The single peak year was 1942.
Where is Merrily most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Merrily are California (74 births), New York (62 births), Illinois (58 births).
How long has the name Merrily been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Merrily since 1936 -- 90 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Merrily? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Meredith, Mercedes, Merle, Mercy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Merrily's data
- Merrily's decade-level peak was the 1940s (638 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Merrilys (74 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Merrily
Nearby Names Like Merrily
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merrily
Meredith Girl
#492 77,787 births
Mercedes Girl
#1446 46,206 births
Merle Girl
14,723 births
Mercy Girl
#845 10,632 births
Merry Girl
#6942 10,369 births
Compare Merrily side by side: Merrily vs Meredith Merrily vs Mercedes Merrily vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merrily
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, 1936–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Merrily: #13660 Girls' Name - 1,037 Births, Peak 1942." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/merrily. 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 Merrily 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.