Merian is of German origin, derived from the Latin word 'merus', meaning 'pure'. It was originally a surname, but has been adopted as a given name in some cases. The name gained prominence through Maria Sibylla Merian, an 18th-century German-Swiss naturalist and scientific illustrator known for her studies on metamorphosis of insects.
The name Merian experienced fluctuations in popularity over the years, with peaks in certain decades and notable gaps in others. The highest number of births recorded in a single year was 12 in 1949. However, there were also periods with no recorded births for this name, such as from 1965 to 2008, indicating its infrequent use during those years. Overall, there have been a total of 204 births with the name Merian from 1916 to 2009.