Meredith
Meaning
from Welsh Maredudd, possibly mawredd 'greatness, magnificence' joined to iudd 'lord'
Goes by Merry
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.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Meredith peaked in the 2000s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
24 people · the #109,849 first name in Brazil · median age 12
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
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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