Given name
Merete
Merete is used as a given name. Merete is connected with Margaret.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Merete shares an earlier linguistic root with Margaret. Margaret has been associated with Greek and Hebrew naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Danish use, Merete is used as a form of Margaret.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1984. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Merete through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12
- 0 boys · 12 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 1986. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 125 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.
Merete’s family of names
Merete shares a linguistic root with Margaret. In Danish usage, Merete has a conventional equivalent in the German form Margarete. Merete is a vernacular form of Margaret.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Merete has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Margaretcognate
- MaggieEnglish
- Meritequivalent
- Merritequivalent
- Maritequivalent
- MargareteGerman
- Meretequivalent
- Maaritequivalent
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Merete
- Merete RiisagerDanish politicianborn 1976
- Merete MyklebustAssociation footballerborn 1973
- Merete Van KampDanish actress-modelborn 1967
- Merete FjeldavlieNorwegian alpine skierborn 1968
- Merete Morken AndersenNorwegian literary scholar, writer, and writing teacherborn 1965
- Merete PedersenDanish association football playerborn 1973
- Merete SkavlanNorwegian actor and director (1920-2018)
- Merete ArmandNorwegian actress (1955–2017)
- Merete MazzarellaFinnish author and literature academicborn 1945
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Merete, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Meghan
Meghan is a feminine given name from Welsh.
>99% girls
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>99% girls
Mallorie
“an unlucky young woman; ill-fated” · “an unlucky young man; ill-fated”
>99% girls
Mayra
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Ivette
“a young archer”
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Megan
Megan is used as a given name and a surname. Megan is connected with Meg and Margaret.
>99% girls
Melisa
Melisa is a feminine given name from Greek. It is used in Turkish and Albanian.
>99% girls