Given name & surname
Mercedes
“wages”·“lady of mercies; refers to the Virgin Mary”
Mercedes is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “wages” and “lady of mercies; refers to the Virgin Mary” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original SpanishMercedez
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “wages” and “lady of mercies; refers to the Virgin Mary” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mercedes through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 46,575
- 369 boys · 46,206 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 1,808 babies
- 2025
- 150
- #1,439 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 150 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,439 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,798 in 1991. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (24). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 62,850 as a first name in 2020; 5,303 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mercedes’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Mercedes has a diminutive in Merce. In Spanish usage, Mercedes has a conventional equivalent in the English form Mercy. Mercedes has an English adaptation in Mercy.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mercedes has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Spanish roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Mercedes
- Mercedes McCambridgeAmerican actress (1916-2004)
- Mercedes RuehlAmerican actressborn 1948
- Mercedes MonéAmerican professional wrestler and actressborn 1992
- Mercedes of OrléansQueen consort of Spain1860–1878
- Mercedes AráozPeruvian economist and politicianborn 1961
- Mercedes MasonSwedish-American actress (born 1982)
- Mercedes de AcostaAmerican poet, playwright, and novelist (1893-1968)1892–1968
- Mercedes LambreArgentine actress, singer, dancer and modelborn 1992
- Mercedes McNabCanadian actressborn 1980
Characters named Mercedes: Mercedes Jones (the television series Glee).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mercedes, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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