Mercedes | Name Meaning & Origin

Virtue Names, Christian Names, American Names, Spanish Names

English and Spanish speaking countries

Spanish name associated with the cult of the Virgin Mary, from the liturgical title "Maria de las Mercedes" (Mary of the Mercies; 'Our Lady of Ransom').
Latin 'mercedes' originally meant 'wages' or 'ransom'.
In Christian theology, Christ's sacrifice is regarded as a 'ransom for the sins of mankind', hence an 'act of ransom' was seen as identical with an 'act of mercy'.