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Meri as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Meri

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The baby name Meri is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɛri/ (MEH-ree); Finnish: /ˈmeri/ (MEH-ree).

Meri is Albanian, English, Estonian, Finnish, Japanese in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Albanian, English, Estonian, Finnish, Japanese
Pronunciation: /ˈmɛri/ (MEH-ree); Finnish: /ˈmeri/ (MEH-ree)

What is the meaning of the name Meri ?

The baby name Meri is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɛri/ (MEH-ree); Finnish: /ˈmeri/ (MEH-ree).

Meri is Albanian, English, Estonian, Finnish, Japanese in Origin.

Meri is a cross-cultural given name with distinct lines of origin. In Finnish and Estonian, meri literally means “sea,” adopted as a nature-inspired feminine name from the early–mid 20th century; it is also a familiar Estonian surname (e.g., President Lennart Meri). In this Northern usage, the core meaning is “sea” or “of the sea,” appealing for its simple, modern sound.

Elsewhere, Meri functions as a vernacular form or nickname. Māori communities use Meri as the local form of Mary/Maria, borne by the 19th‑century leader Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia. As a hypocoristic it shortens Mer‑ names - Meredith, Mercedes, Meriem, Meritxell - and sometimes appears as a phonetic variant of Mary or Merry. Depending on the source, meanings range from “sea” (Finnish/Estonian) to the debated senses of Mary/Miryam (“beloved,” “bitter,” or “rebellious”) or Welsh Maredudd/Meredith (“great lord”). Variants and cognates include Meeri, Mery, Merri, Mary, Maria, and Miriam.

Meri has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Meri

Merdjefare Royal Merdjefare is best known as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 14th Dynasty, who ruled during the Second Intermediate Period around 1700 BC. He was one of the lesser-known kings of this turbulent era in Egyptian history.

Meri – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
ET 0 #4 3 246
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
BI 0 #12 1 425
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
DJ Girls 0 #28 2 488
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
TM Girls 0 #34 2 574
TM Boys 0 #35 2 614
GE 0 #38 7 997
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
AZ 0 #43 1 706
GE Girls 0 #45 76 1,564
AL 0 #61 15 2,372
AL Girls 0 #61 254 4,141
AZ Girls 0 #65 10 1,051
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
BG 0 #81 2 1,799
ID Girls 0 #88 11 3,319
KZ 0 #93 2 1,452
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
EC 0 #118 4 2,502
CY Girls 0 #119 7 3,755
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
Finland Girls 0 #127 735 1,368
HR Girls 0 #130 267 3,687
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
RS Girls 0 #133 5 1,651
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
BG Girls 0 #141 85 3,559
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
SI Girls 0 #150 25 2,769
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
RS Boys 0 #153 2 2,277
Finland 0 #156 190 830
Finland Girls 2026 #157 3,315 3,895
GR Girls 0 #157 88 6,293
HR 0 #157 23 2,081
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
Sweden Girls 2020 #178 3 1,663
UY 0 #178 5 2,477
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
AR 0 #190 4 2,915
RU 0 #190 5 3,641
LT Girls 0 #199 2 1,904
DK 0 #203 4 5,198
SI Boys 0 #208 4 3,402
BG Boys 0 #215 6 3,850
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
EC Girls 0 #230 10 3,650
KW Girls 0 #230 321 19,177
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
BD 0 #237 5 5,992
RU Girls 0 #237 385 11,913
GH 0 #244 5 5,396
JP Girls 0 #244 8 6,592
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
QA Girls 0 #253 64 15,378
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
HR Boys 0 #258 2 3,997
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
AL Boys 0 #268 31 5,122
GR Boys 0 #271 3 6,912
IL 0 #277 6 6,291
TW Girls 0 #283 7 8,139
SA 0 #286 10 10,560
KZ Girls 0 #288 33 5,862
KZ Boys 0 #295 2 6,578
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
SD Girls 0 #305 41 7,678
GH Girls 0 #313 12 6,973
BR 0 #315 31 5,969
OM Girls 0 #317 80 15,987
PE 0 #324 6 6,350
IT Girls 0 #325 4,064 9,415
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CZ Girls 0 #330 12 5,378
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
JO Girls 0 #332 8 7,570
Spain 0 #349 104 2,326
BO 0 #350 32 6,868
MY 0 #351 4 12,352
BD Girls 0 #356 31 8,413
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
PL Girls 0 #359 6 5,096
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
AE Girls 0 #368 186 20,968
SA Girls 0 #368 706 25,931
Spain Girls 0 #380 999 5,561
PH Girls 0 #381 10 13,098
Austria Girls 0 #383 38 1,885
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
BO Girls 0 #398 228 9,488
PS Girls 0 #402 124 10,981
MX 0 #404 10 8,339
SD Boys 0 #410 36 10,523
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
France Girls 2010 #422 3 3,152
CL 0 #428 7 6,867
PA Girls 0 #451 31 9,861
UY Girls 0 #458 53 6,731
PT Girls 0 #463 9 7,952
GT Girls 0 #470 36 7,500
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
CR Girls 0 #475 58 11,342
IL Girls 0 #476 143 11,648
IR Girls 0 #478 53 8,334
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
IQ Girls 0 #487 18 11,303
RU Boys 0 #495 11 12,621
GT Boys 0 #497 3 7,625
AR Girls 0 #501 99 8,289
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
PE Girls 0 #506 575 14,861
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
BH 0 #511 43 17,937
LY 0 #512 24 12,703
BR Girls 0 #529 515 12,708
MA 0 #531 878 20,986
PS Boys 0 #535 14 10,655
IT 0 #547 170 4,183
SG Girls 0 #548 39 18,916
CM Girls 0 #556 5 11,671
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
IR Boys 0 #557 9 10,162
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
CO Girls 0 #578 671 16,140
LB 0 #582 77 13,263
IL Boys 0 #593 15 10,983
HK Girls 0 #598 18 16,104
BD Boys 0 #603 3 10,045
IN Girls 0 #606 26 13,121
BO Boys 0 #615 8 9,244
IQ Boys 0 #653 15 13,071
QA Boys 0 #677 31 18,093
Germany Girls 0 #682 158 4,949
KW Boys 0 #696 74 18,755
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
SY 0 #701 28 11,684
DZ 0 #728 492 20,130
SG Boys 0 #736 4 17,960
TN 0 #764 66 13,765
CL Girls 0 #765 87 14,098
BR Boys 0 #779 7 12,213
TR 0 #787 521 19,440
NG Girls 0 #824 3 15,093
OM Boys 0 #828 54 17,948
NL Girls 0 #860 96 5,933
PE Boys 0 #862 17 14,506
MY Girls 0 #877 118 24,821
EG Girls 0 #894 66 14,742
MX Girls 0 #895 299 17,781
CO Boys 0 #900 21 15,656
Spain Boys 0 #903 28 5,610
United States Girls 2024 #904 13 8,487
EG Boys 0 #918 8 15,035
NL Boys 0 #929 23 5,873
Germany Boys 0 #940 13 5,697
MX Boys 0 #970 13 16,355
IN Boys 0 #973 29 16,750
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
AE Boys 0 #1,015 78 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,039 73 25,439
ZA Girls 0 #1,108 34 25,928
SA Boys 0 #1,242 377 28,008
ZA Boys 0 #1,268 5 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,409 63 10,046

Meri is popular in 86 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Sweden
France
AE
AL

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Meri

Meri is predominantly a girl's name.
Meri is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈmɛri/ (MEH-ree); Finnish: /ˈmeri/ (MEH-ree).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Merry, Merie, Mery, Merri, Merja and Merit.
Yes — Meri ranked #157 in Finland in 2026, and appears in official birth registries across 4 countries.
Meri ranks highest in Finland (#157 in 2026).
Meri's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #925 in 2014 to #904 in 2024 in United States.
Yes — 1 notable people named Meri are in our database, including Merdjefare (Royal).