Merritt sits next to 5 phonetic neighbors — Merit, Meret, and Merritt are the closest matches by sound. Most share Merritt's English-origin cluster, so the rhythm and vowel shape carry across the list.
You searched for names like
"boundary gate"
"expert, connoisseur"
"the sky, the heavens"
"from the kingdom of Lothar"
"shining upon men"
"joyful hill (from Wynn + hlaw)"
"life"
"pure (from Catherine via Caitlin)"
"son of Adam"
"the one who holds up the heavens"
"chamomile flower"
"air, song, melody"
"son of Maud, mighty in battle"
"place of the bold ones"
"at the ash tree (from Nash + lee/ley)"
"royal valley"
"from Roslin (Scottish place name)"
"harmful spirits, demons"
"bright, visible"
"noble kind"
"beautiful"
Similar sound: These names share phonetic patterns with Merritt — similar vowel sounds, consonant clusters, or rhythm.
Shared roots: Several names on this list have Old English origins, giving them the same cultural heritage as Merritt.
Rhythm: Merritt is a 2-syllable name. Names with the same syllable count tend to feel interchangeable when you're narrowing your list.