Merry
A girls’ name of Old English origin, meaning cheerful, lighthearted.
Babies a year
14
the US, 2017
Rarity
Very rare
among names in use
US popularity
—
outside the top 1000
UK popularity
—
outside the ONS list
Merry by the numbers
Merry was given to 14 American babies in 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
Its American peak was 355 babies in 1954, so it is a 1950s name that has since fallen a long way.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Merry. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Mercycompassion or forgiveness370 in the US (2017)
- Merrynhigh; exalted; a form of Merin or Meryn34 in England and Wales (2025)
- Meryof the sea; a form of Meredith or Meryl12 in the US (2017)
- Merlyvariant of Merle; blackbird or dark5 in the US (2017)
- Merricheerful; joyful; a short form of merry
- Merary16 in the US (2017)
Sounds like Merry
Names that are said the same way as Merry, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
Other names that mean joy
Like Merry, each of these has joy in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Abigailmy father's joy10,557 in the US (2017)
- Asherhappy, blessed6,076 in the US (2017)
- Edendelight, paradise594 in England and Wales (2025)
- Jocelyncheerful or joyful; from Jocundus1,828 in the US (2017)
- Tatumcheerful or bringer of joy1,159 in the US (2017)
- Joyjoy; gladness and pleasure971 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Merry
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