Given name & surname · also Latin
Mercy
“one who shows compassion and pity”
Mercy is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who shows compassion and pity.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who shows compassion and pity.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mercy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,864
- 232 boys · 10,632 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 461 babies
- 2025
- 338
- #867 for girls · #4,211 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 313 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 867 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 441 in 2019. It also appeared in 25 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (35). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,795 as a first name in 2020; 670 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.
Mercy’s family of names
In English usage, Mercy has a diminutive in Merry. In English usage, Mercy has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Mercedes. Mercy is an English adaptation of Mercedes.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Mercy
- Mercy AigbeNigerian actressborn 1978
- Mercy JohnsonNigerian actress, film director and film producerborn 1984
- Mercy Otis WarrenAmerican writer1728–1814
- Mercy ChinwoNigerian Gospel Musicianborn 1990
- Mercy CheronoKenyan long-distance runnerborn 1991
- Mercy Akideassociation football playerborn 1975
- Mercy EkeNigerian actressborn 1993
- Mercy WanjikuKenyan steeplechase athleteborn 1986
- Lavinia WarrenAmerican circus performer (1841–1919)
Characters named Mercy: Mercy Graves ("Superman: The Animated Series" and later media).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mercy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mery
Mery is a given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% girls
Elsi
Elsi is a feminine given name, possibly from English. It is used in Finnish.
>99% girls
Mira
“one who is prosperous” · “a peaceful woman”
>99% girls
Eila
“a birdlike woman”
>99% girls
Myla
“one who is merciful”
>99% girls
Meadow
“from the beautiful field”
>99% girls
Journey
“one who likes to travel”
9% boys · 91% girls
Daisy
“of the day's eye; resembling a flower”
>99% girls