Is Merit a boy or girl name?

Merit is a unisex name. Of the 544 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 58.1% were girls and 41.9% were boys. It changed hands in 2021, and has gone mainly to girls since.

Name Legacy

Merit

Recorded 1918–2025 · United States

Merit was most popular in 2025, when 73 American babies were given the name — ranking #4,351 that year. In 2025 it ranked #4,351, with 73 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 544 people named Merit.

Merit over time

Births per year. The dot marks Merit’s peak in 2025. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Merit a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Merit is a unisex name — 58.1% of the 544 Americans given it were girls and 41.9% were boys. It changed hands: since 2021 it has gone mainly to girls, having gone mainly to boys before that. In births since 2016 it is 56% girls and 44% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Merit

Explore further

See Merit on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org