Meribeth
A feminine name originating from the elements "meri" meaning "bitter" and "beth" meaning "home".
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the first name Meribeth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meribeth today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meribeth births was 1955 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meribeth. 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.
People living today
347
~ 1 in 987,765 Americans
Peak year
1955
22 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1991 SSA rank
#9,078
Tracked since 1916
Census
Meribeth in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 514 people with the first name Meribeth, which placed it at #20,187 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
#20,187
National first-name rank
People counted
514
514 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
90.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meribeth
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Meribeth is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Meribeth 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 Meribeth at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 37
- Two or more races1.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Popularity
Meribeth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meribeth from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 145 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meribeth 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 Meribeth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meribeths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Meribeth, while Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meribeth
The name Meribeth has its origins in the Hebrew language, stemming from the combination of the Hebrew words "miryam" and "beth." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century.
The first part of the name, "meri," is derived from the Hebrew name "Miryam," which is the original form of the name Mary. This name holds significant religious and cultural significance, as it is the name of the mother of Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition. The second part, "beth," is a Hebrew word meaning "house" or "home."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meribeth can be found in the 13th century, when it was mentioned in a collection of English parish records. During this time, the name was likely used as a variation of the more common name Mary, with the added suffix "beth" to distinguish it.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Meribeth. In the 16th century, Meribeth Browne (1550-1620) was a renowned English poet and playwright whose works explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Another prominent figure was Meribeth Forrester (1675-1742), a Scottish botanist and herbalist renowned for her extensive research on medicinal plants.
In the 18th century, Meribeth Ainsworth (1720-1795) was an influential English educator who advocated for the establishment of schools for girls, challenging the societal norms of her time. Meribeth Caldwell (1785-1860), an American philanthropist and social reformer, was instrumental in founding several charitable organizations and advocating for women's rights.
More recently, Meribeth Elliott (1901-1982) was a notable American artist known for her vibrant paintings depicting rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Her works are celebrated for their vivid colors and intricate details, capturing the essence of American culture during the early 20th century.
While the name Meribeth has its roots in Hebrew and Christian tradition, it has been adopted and embraced by various cultures throughout history, with each individual adding their unique contributions and leaving an indelible mark on society.
People
Meribeth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meribeth 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
Meribeth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meribeth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 347 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meribeth 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 987,765 US residents.
Is Meribeth a common name?
We classify Meribeth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 476 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meribeth most popular?
The single biggest year for Meribeth was 1955, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meribeth is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Meribeth in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 514 people with the name Meribeth, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,187 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 Meribeth 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 Meribeth?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Meribeth appears almost entirely female. Of the 512 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Meribeth?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Meribeth is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Meribeth most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Meribeth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (465 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 Meribeth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Meribeth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meribeth 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 Meribeth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Meribeth 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 Meribeth 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 Meribeth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.