# Meredith (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/meredith/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Welsh |
| Meaning | “great lord” |
| Pronunciation | /məˈɹɛdɪθ/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Merry, Mer |
| Variant spellings | Merrihew, Meridith |
| US babies named this | 82,044 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 4,257 / 77,787 (95% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,578, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Welsh Maredudd (“great lord”).

## What it means

Meredith is grouped under god.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 477 | 602 |
| 2012 | 423 | 669 |
| 2013 | 433 | 658 |
| 2014 | 477 | 610 |
| 2015 | 510 | 590 |
| 2016 | 588 | 530 |
| 2017 | 628 | 502 |
| 2018 | 598 | 524 |
| 2019 | 527 | 581 |
| 2020 | 499 | 585 |
| 2021 | 534 | 570 |
| 2022 | 557 | 549 |
| 2023 | 595 | 509 |
| 2024 | 623 | 492 |
| 2025 | 656 | 469 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 22 | 2,479 |
| 1987 | 18 | 2,912 |
| 1988 | 15 | 3,463 |
| 1989 | 17 | 3,401 |
| 1990 | 8 | 6,219 |
| 1991 | 15 | 3,953 |
| 1992 | 11 | 5,134 |
| 1993 | 5 | 9,670 |
| 1994 | 7 | 7,492 |
| 1995 | 7 | 7,528 |
| 1997 | 6 | 8,901 |
| 1998 | 5 | 10,731 |
| 2004 | 8 | 8,658 |
| 2008 | 7 | 10,648 |
| 2011 | 5 | 13,654 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 62 | 645 |
| 2012 | 59 | 701 |
| 2013 | 60 | 663 |
| 2014 | 79 | 535 |
| 2015 | 69 | 607 |
| 2016 | 67 | 630 |
| 2017 | 89 | 491 |
| 2018 | 81 | 523 |
| 2019 | 75 | 537 |
| 2020 | 69 | 571 |
| 2021 | 79 | 517 |
| 2022 | 71 | 550 |
| 2023 | 54 | 671 |
| 2024 | 61 | 638 |
| 2025 | 48 | 763 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3 | 2,901 |

## People named Meredith

- Wendell Meredith Stanley, American biochemist and virologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1946)
- Meredith Baxter, American actress and producer (born 1947)
- Meredith Monk, American musician (born 1942)
- Meredith Brooks, American singer, songwriter, musician and producer
- Meredith Monroe, American actress (born 1968)
- Meredith Vieira, American broadcast journalist and television personality (born 1953)
- Meredith Willson, American composer, conductor, musical arranger, flautist, bandleader and playwright (1902-
- Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, equestrian
- Meredith Salenger, American actress
- Meredith Eaton, American actress
- Meredith Scott Lynn, American actress
- Meredith Colket, American tennis player (1878-1947)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.