Merrick is a Welsh surname derived from Meurig, the Welsh form of Maurice, which comes from the Latin Mauritius and means "Moorish" or "dark-skinned". As a first name it shares the crisp two-syllable sound of Maverick and Garrett and is best known in America through Attorney General Merrick Garland. Merrick entered the US top 1000 in 2016, peaked at number 818 in 2018, slipped back out in 2022 and ranks 1183 in 2025.