Merida is the name of the red-haired Scottish princess in Pixar's Brave, released in 2012, which is when American parents began to use it. The name matches the Spanish city of Mérida, founded by the Romans as Emerita Augusta, "Augustus's veterans", a name also carried by cities in Mexico and Venezuela. Merida peaked at number 1796 in 2017 and sits at number 2677 in 2025 with 65 girls.