Meredith
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Meaning
from Welsh Maredudd, possibly mawredd 'greatness, magnificence' joined to iudd 'lord'
Goes by Merry. See all nicknames
The story
Meredith spent most of its early history as a man's name. It comes from the Welsh Maredudd, possibly built on mawredd, greatness or magnificence, joined to iudd, lord, and its older forms were well used in Wales all through the Middle Ages. The American record caught the name mid-crossing. Boys held the lead through the 1910s, 559 to 464 that decade; in the 1920s the girls edged ahead, 892 to 827, and the gap never closed again. The girls' column climbed to 15,840 in the 1970s and 19,204 in the 1980s while the boys' faded decade by decade, down to five in the 2010s and none recorded so far in the 2020s. Wales, for its part, never signed the transfer papers: Meredith is still a masculine name there. Few names document a handover this cleanly, decade by recorded decade.
How popular is Meredith around the world?
In the United States, 3,464 babies were named Meredith between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 82 registrations of Meredith in 2022.
Meredith is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Canada, Argentina, Chile, England and Wales, South Australia, France, Spain and Brazil.
United States
1 in 6,300
In the United States, 3,464 babies were named Meredith between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Meredith peaked in the 2000s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Mexico City City
1 in 1,400
In Mexico City, there were 82 registrations of Meredith in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (4 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Canada
1 in 9,400
In Canada, 39 girls named Meredith were born in 2024, the 746th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Argentina
1 in 9,600
In Argentina, 69 newborns were given the name Meredith in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Chile
1 in 9,900
In Chile, 18 girls were registered as Meredith in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
England and Wales
1 in 12,000
In England and Wales, 48 girls named Meredith were born in 2025, the 763rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Meredith in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
France
1 in 130,000
In France, about 5 girls named Meredith were born in 2025, ranked 3,460th among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Meredith, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Spain
1 in 380,000
In Spain, 119 residents are named Meredith, ranked 6,773rd among women, with a mean age of 16.7 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Austria
last on record 2018
Meredith is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Brazil
At the 2022 census, 24 people in Brazil were named Meredith, ranked 109,849th, with a median age of 12.
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Ireland
last on record 2024
Meredith is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
last on record 2006
Meredith is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
New Zealand
last on record 1989
Meredith is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Puerto Rico
last on record 2023
Meredith is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 36 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Scotland
last on record 2023
Meredith is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Poland: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Meredith
Most people given the name Meredith in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Meredith you meet today is most often in her 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Meredith deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Meredith truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Meredith fits with your family’s names and surname.
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