Meret
An ancient Egyptian name meaning "Beloved" or "Loved one".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Meret. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meret today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meret births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meret. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Meret. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#18,373
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Meret: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Meret by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Meret during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Meret
The name Meret has its origins in ancient Egyptian culture, dating back to the early dynastic period around 3100–2686 BC. It is derived from the ancient Egyptian word "mry.t," which means "beloved" or "cherished one." The name was particularly popular among the ruling classes and nobility during the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom periods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meret can be found in the Pyramid Texts, a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary inscriptions from the late Old Kingdom. These texts mention a queen consort named Meret-ites, who was the wife of Pharaoh Pepi II, ruling during the 6th Dynasty (c. 2278–2184 BC).
In the Middle Kingdom, around 2055–1650 BC, there was a notable woman named Meret-Amun, who held the prestigious title of "God's Wife of Amun" at the temple of Amun in Thebes (modern-day Luxor). This position was highly influential and powerful, as the "God's Wife" was considered the earthly representative of the goddess Mut.
During the New Kingdom period (c. 1550–1070 BC), a woman named Meret-Ptah served as the chief physician and overseer of the royal harim (women's quarters) during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (c. 1388–1351 BC). Her tomb, discovered in Thebes, provides valuable insights into the medical practices and daily life of the ancient Egyptians.
Moving forward in time, the name Meret also appears in the Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian funerary text used from the beginning of the New Kingdom to around 50 BC. One of the spells in the book is dedicated to a woman named Meret-tef-es, who was a singer and musician in the temple of Amun during the 19th Dynasty (c. 1292–1189 BC).
Another notable figure with the name Meret was Meret-Amun, a powerful and influential priestess who lived during the 22nd Dynasty (c. 945–715 BC) in the city of Thebes. She was the daughter of the High Priest of Amun, Pinudjem I, and held the prestigious title of "Divine Adoratrice of Amun" at the Karnak Temple complex.
These are just a few examples of the historical significance and longevity of the name Meret in ancient Egyptian culture. The name has endured for thousands of years and has been associated with influential women from various social strata, including royalty, nobility, priestesses, and respected professionals.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Meret
People
Meret + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meret as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Meret: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meret?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meret going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Meret a common name?
We classify Meret as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meret most popular?
The single biggest year for Meret was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meret is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Meret in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Meret a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meret in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Meret still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Meret in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Meret can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Meret as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Meret on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.