Given name
Merari
“bitterness”·“bitter”
Merari is used as a given name.
Original Hebrewמררי
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Merari means “bitterness” or “bitter.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Merari is a biblical name from Hebrew.
From biblical name research
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb marar (מרר), “to be bitter or strong.”
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Merari appears in Genesis 46:11, Numbers 26:57, Numbers 3:36-37.
- Genesis 46:11
- Numbers 26:57
- Numbers 3:36-37
From biblical name research
Merari through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,370
- 21 boys · 1,349 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 66 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #9,886 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,886 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 66 in 2004. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,766 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Merari’s family of names
The ring: spellings.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 18
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
Similar names
If you love Merari, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Anah
“answer” · “task”
>99% girls
Michaela
“who is like God?” · “brook”
>99% girls
Mariah
Mariah is a feminine given name from Hebrew.
>99% girls
Elah
“terebinth”
>99% girls
Keturah
“incense”
>99% girls
Gabrielle
“heroine of God” · “man of God”
1% boys · 99% girls
Mirjana
Mirjana is a feminine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Serbo-Croatian.
>99% girls
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls