Given name & surname
Merry
“one who is lighthearted and joyful”·“filled with joy”
Merry brings together an affectionate short form and the familiar word for cheerfulness.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is lighthearted and joyful” (English) and “filled with joy” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Merry is a diminutive of Meredith. In English usage, Merry is a diminutive of Mercy.
The story
In Dickens’s Martin Chuzzlewit, Mercy Pecksniff is called Merry. This gives the name a specific literary link with Mercy alongside its everyday association with a cheerful disposition.
Merry through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,369
- 0 boys · 10,369 girls
- Most popular year
- 1954
- 355 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #10,634 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −31%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,634 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 31.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 355 in 1954. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,030 as a first name in 2020; 3,575 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.
Merry’s family of names
In English usage, Merry is a diminutive of Meredith. Merry is a form of Mercy. In English usage, Merry is a diminutive of Mercy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
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 Merry
- Merry ClaytonAmerican musicianborn 1948
- Merry E. Wiesner-HanksAmerican historianborn 1952
- Merry RianaIndonesian entrepreneur and motivatorborn 1980
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Merry, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sheryl
“one who is greatly loved; a darling” · “from the bright clearing”
>99% girls
Pamela
“very strange” · “a woman who is as sweet as honey”
>99% girls
Janis
Janis is used as a given name and a surname. Janis is connected with Janice and John.
7% boys · 93% girls
Chirley
“from the bright clearing”
>99% girls
Marilyn
“a man of the lake”
>99% girls
Lecia
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Licia
Licia is a variant of Lecia. In English use, Lecia carries the interpretation “woman of the nobility; truthful; having high moral character.”
>99% girls
Beth
“my God is bountiful” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls