Mercie
A feminine given name originating from French for "mercy" or "compassion".
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the first name Mercie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mercie today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mercie births was 2019 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mercie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mercie with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
269
~ 1 in 1,274,180 Americans
Peak year
2019
20 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,398
Tracked since 1902
Census
Mercie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 401 people with the first name Mercie, which placed it at #24,134 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,134
National first-name rank
People counted
401
401 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
39.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mercie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mercie is Black at 39.4%. The next largest groups are White (27.9%) and Hispanic (19.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mercie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mercie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American39.4% · 158
- White27.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino19.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 29
- Two or more races4.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 8
Popularity
Mercie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mercie from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 95 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mercie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mercie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mercie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mercies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Mercie, while California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mercie
The name Mercie has its roots in the French language, originating from the word "merci," which means "thanks" or "mercy." This name likely emerged during the medieval period in France, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of gratitude and compassion.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the concept of mercy was deeply revered, and names associated with this virtue gained popularity across Europe. The name Mercie may have been bestowed upon children as a reminder of the importance of showing gratitude and extending kindness to others.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mercie can be found in the 13th century, when a noblewoman named Mercie de Montfort was mentioned in historical records from the region of Brittany, France. This suggests that the name was already in use among the aristocracy during that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Mercie Peletier lived in Paris and was celebrated for her philanthropic efforts in caring for the poor and destitute. Her legacy as a compassionate individual may have contributed to the name's continued use and positive associations.
During the 16th century, the name Mercie appeared in several literary works, including the writings of the French poet and playwright, Pierre de Ronsard. This suggests that the name had gained cultural significance and was recognized within artistic circles.
In the 17th century, Mercie de Munchhausen, a German noblewoman, gained prominence for her involvement in political and social affairs. Her influence and reputation may have further popularized the name across Europe.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the name Mercie was Mercie Lacoste, a French painter who lived in the late 18th century and was known for her portraits and landscapes. Her artistic contributions likely brought additional recognition to the name during that period.
Over the centuries, the name Mercie has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, each contributing to its rich cultural and historical significance. While its origins lie in the French language, the name has transcended borders and continues to be appreciated for its associations with compassion, gratitude, and kindness.
People
Mercie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mercie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mercie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mercie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 269 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mercie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,274,180 US residents.
Is Mercie a common name?
We classify Mercie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 480 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mercie most popular?
The single biggest year for Mercie was 2019, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mercie is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mercie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 401 people with the name Mercie, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,134 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mercie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mercie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mercie leans strongly female. 390 people counted with this name were female (97.0%), compared with 12 male bearers (3.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mercie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mercie is Black at 39.4%. The next largest groups are White (27.9%) and Hispanic (19.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mercie most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Mercie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.4% (158 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mercie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mercie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mercie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mercie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mercie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mercie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Mercie?
Find out how many Americans are named Mercie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.