Mercer

Where Mercer comes from

Mercer hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1881
    Debut at its peak, #866
    #866 among boys with 5 babies — the first year it was published, and still its best.
  2. 1882
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births.
  3. 1919
    Mercer Ellington born
    American musician
  4. 1943
    Mercer Mayer born
    American children's illustrator and writer
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Mercer Ellington · American musician, 1919–1996
  • Mercer Mayer · American children's illustrator and writer, born 1943
  • Mercer Cook · American diplomat, 1903–1987
  • Mercer Davies · South African athletics competitor, 1924–1997

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.