Meridy
A feminine name of undetermined origin, possibly a variant of Melida.
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Meridy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meridy today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meridy births was 1947 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meridy. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Meridy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1947
12 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2013 SSA rank
#15,898
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Meridy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meridy from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 22 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meridy 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 Meridy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meridy
The name Meridy has its origins in the ancient Etruscan culture, which flourished in what is now modern-day Italy between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC. It is derived from the Etruscan word "meride," meaning "bright" or "radiant." The name was likely used to describe someone with a cheerful or luminous personality.
One of the earliest known references to the name Meridy can be found in the Etruscan inscription on the Pyrgi Tablets, which date back to around 500 BC. These tablets were dedicated to the Phoenician goddess Astarte and contained religious texts written in both Etruscan and Phoenician scripts.
During the Roman period, the name Meridy was occasionally used, albeit infrequently. One notable bearer of the name was Meridy Rufus, a Roman senator who lived in the 1st century AD and was known for his oratory skills.
In the Middle Ages, the name Meridy experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in certain regions of Europe. One notable figure was Meridy of Arles, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was renowned for her patronage of the arts and literature.
The Renaissance period saw the name Meridy gain further recognition. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Meridy Gozzadini, an Italian scholar and antiquarian who lived in the 15th century and made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman artifacts and inscriptions.
In more recent centuries, the name Meridy has been used sporadically throughout various parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual was Meridy Vives, a Spanish philosopher and humanist who lived in the 16th century and was known for his works on education and ethics.
While the name Meridy has never achieved widespread popularity, it has been borne by a number of notable figures throughout history, each contributing to its unique legacy and cultural significance.
People
Meridy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meridy 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
Meridy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meridy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meridy 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Meridy a common name?
We classify Meridy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meridy most popular?
The single biggest year for Meridy was 1947, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meridy is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meridy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meridy 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.
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.