The baby name Merritt blends surname style with a virtue name vibe.
Thanks to Amy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE BABY NAME MERRITT MEAN?
Merritt is pretty close to the word merit. In Latin, meritum means a benefit or value. Over time, merit came to mean moral worth.
By the 1300s, merit had become a synonym for worthiness, and also a verb. “His actions merit recognition.” Schools have referred to demerits since the 19th century.
If merit is a synonym for excellence, then any spelling of this name feels like a sibling for Prosper and Sage.
MERRIT AS A SURNAME
The double ‘r’ – double ‘t’ spelling isn’t a virtue choice, but a surname name. There are three possible origins:
- In some cases, Merritt came from miere – mare and geat – gate, a reference to someone who lived near a boundary gate. The place name survives as the village of Merriott in Somerset, in southwestern England.
- It might also come from a personal name. Mariot, Mariote, and Mariotawere all pet forms of Mary and Marie. This potentially makes Merritt a masculine equivalent of Mary, too.
- Speaking of women’s names, Merritt might have evolved as a form of Margaret. Contract the sounds and Maret makes perfect sense.
- Connections to Old Norse names and Celtic names are possible, and the Old English Maergeat is sometimes seen in fleeting references.
MERET
There’s also a separate name, Meret. In many cases, it’s just another take on Margaret, as suggested above.
But in Egyptian mythology, Meret is a goddess. She’s joyful, associate with song and dance. Her name means “beloved.”
FAMOUS MERRITTS
Bearers of the surname include:
- College Football Hall of Fame coach John Merritt, remembered for his achievements at Tennessee State University.
- Early and influential science fiction writer AbrahamMerritt, who wrote as A. Merritt.
- Physician Samuel Merritt moved from Maine to California, founding two schools of higher education.
It’s undeniably a gender-netural choice, particular when other spellings are considered. The current Crown Princess of Norway is Mette-Marit.
Merritt has also remained a place name in the US and Canada, often thanks to those with the surname.
That’s certainly the case with Lake Merritt. The lake is a tidal lagoon, and it has played a key role in the history of Oakland, California, thanks to Dr. Samuel Merritt. The area has been used as a wildlife sanctuary, with a special emphasis on birds. The sanctuary was established in 1870 – the very first in the United States.
On a whimsical note, the shores of Lake Merritt are also home to Children’s Fairyland, a theme park for young children and an early influence in the development of Disneyland.
MERRITT McKINNEY
Here’s one more use of the name that might be familiar. The world first met Merritt McKinney in 2013 blockbuster heist movie Now You See Me.
McKinney returned in a 2016 sequel and again in 2025. Woody Harrelson played the part. McKinney is a hypnotist, and the oldest of the magicians known as the Four Horsemen.
It’s got a Robin Hood-esque twist, and has been steadily popular. It’s likely one of the reasons the baby name Merritt has increased in use over the last dozen years.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MERRITT?
Then again, the baby name Merritt ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys from 1880 into the 1950s. It was never particularly common, but it strikes. familiar chord.
Looking at all of the possible spellings in the US as of 2024:
- 158 girls and 84 boys were named Merritt.
- Another 6 girls were named Merrit, spelled with just a single T.
- 15 girls and 14 boys received the straight-up virtue name Merit.
- 10 more girls answer to Marit.
- While Maret and Meret have appeared in the US popularity data in the past, neither was recorded in 2024.
ON-TREND OPTION
Overall, the baby name Merritt fits in nicely with so many current trends.
- It ends with TT, just like Beckett and Everett and Scarlett.
- Like Sage, it’s a bit of a virtue name.
- And it can update Mary or Margaret, serving as a unisex honor name option.
That all makes Merritt perfect as a first or middle name, for a daughter or a son.
What do you think of the baby name Merritt?
First published on July 11, 2013, this post was revised on December 3, 2025.
Thanks for the extra history behind my name, I’ve only come across the boundary gate tid-bit so it was fun to read the other goodies. I especially like the part about softer and less expected, wow! I can attest to the unisex nature I’m a 27 year old woman and the Merritt hasn’t failed me yet!
Mær is Old English for “famous”, therefore Mærgeat is probably a male compound name with the name of the tribe. Mær is also Old Norse for “daughter, young girl, maiden”, but adding the name of the tribe after that wouldn’t make much sense as a name for a girl. So the Mærgeat origin for Merritt doesn’t work as a female name IMO.
But…
Merit⋙Märit⋙Märet⋙Märeta⋙Merete⋙Margarete⋙Margareta⋙Margarita⋙Margarites
Plus, virtue names being mostly unisex, I really do see this as a truly unisex name.
I have both Merit and Maret on the Scandinavian limbs of my family tree. I’ve always liked the both names, but I think Merit works better in English. In my mind Merit is female and Merritt is male.
I love this name. It is going on my “List of baby names for if/when I get pregnant but I hope until then my husband doesn’t find it and make fun of me” list.
The only Merritt I’ve ever known is Merritt Wever, whom I went to dance school and camp with, as children. You can look HER up on IMDB – she’s now an Emmy nominated actress. I always thought her name was very cool. Her mom is Georgia, and I always liked that name, too.