Mercy
Boy name · #4163 in 2025 · Uniqueness 65/100
Mercy is currently the #4163 boy name in the United States — 25 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #7066, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 72,000 boys born in 2025 was named Mercy.
Babies named Mercy per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 106-year story
Mercy first appears in the Social Security records in 1919, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 28 babies and a rank of #3883. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Mercy against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Mercy in class?
Mercy scores 65 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Mercy is most common
State-level data for Mercy is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Mercy
Statistically, parents drawn to Mercy tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Motty, Mansa, Renley, Myers, and Leiby.
MottyMansaRenleyMyersLeibyYankyShivayMads
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Mercy | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | #4139 |
| 2024 | 24 | #4321 |
| 2023 | 28 | #3883 |
| 2022 | 21 | #4701 |
| 2021 | 20 | #4780 |
| 2020 | 17 | #5235 |
| 2019 | 20 | #4806 |
| 2018 | 13 | #6345 |
| 2017 | 16 | #5526 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6726 |
| 2015 | 11 | #7066 |
| 2014 | 9 | #8130 |
| 2013 | 6 | #10728 |
| 2000 | 5 | #10349 |
| 1919 | 5 | #4168 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Mercy a popular boy name?
Mercy ranked #4163 among boys in 2025 with 25 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #7066.
When was the name Mercy most popular?
Mercy peaked in 2023, when 28 American boys received the name (ranked #3883 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Mercy?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 72,000 newborn American boys was named Mercy. It scores 65/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.