NameRealm
Mercy

Mercy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“compassion”
Origin
English
Say it
MUR-see · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls (98% of all uses)

From the English virtue word mercy, ultimately from Latin merces through French. It has long been used as a Christian virtue name.

English namesNames meaning peaceNames meaning graceVirtue namesClassic names

How popular is Mercy?

2024103 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Mercy in 2024342

2024 rank#848 girls

Peak year2019

Total US babies since 188010,520

Mercy is rising: use over the last five years is 1.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Mercy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Oliviaolive tree · English
  • Evelyndesired; little bird · English
  • Harperharp player · English
  • Violetviolet flower · English
  • Hazelhazel tree · English
  • Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
  • Lilylily flower · English
  • Scarlettscarlet, bright red · English

Mercy questions

What does the name Mercy mean?

Mercy means "compassion". It comes from English. From the English virtue word mercy, ultimately from Latin merces through French. It has long been used as a Christian virtue name.

Is Mercy a boy or girl name?

Mercy is mainly a girl's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Mercy?

342 US babies were named Mercy in 2024. Its peak year was 2019.

How do you pronounce Mercy?

Mercy is usually pronounced MUR-see.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.