Merton

Where Merton comes from

Merton 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. 1880
    First SSA year, and the peak
    #325 among boys with 27 babies — the first year on record, and still its best.
  2. 1885
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #547.
  3. 1890
    Merton Beckwith-Smith born
    British Army general
  4. 1923
    Merton Miller born
    American economist
In the dictionary

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

Namesakes
  • Merton Miller · American economist, 1923–2000
  • Merton Beckwith-Smith · British Army general, 1890–1942
  • Merton Davies · American astronomer, 1917–2001
  • Merton Hanks · American football player, born 1968
  • Merton Elmer Lewis · American politician, 1861–1937

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.