Mercedes is a Spanish name taken from a title of the Virgin Mary, María de las Mercedes, Our Lady of Mercies; the word means "mercies" or "favors". The car brand took its name from Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of an early Daimler dealer, which gives the name an unusual double life. In the United States Mercedes stood at number 285 in 2000 and peaked at number 283 in 2001, but it has fallen steadily since and ranks 1439 in 2025.