List of Famous people born in Merced, United States of America

Walter Ray Allen Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in September 2018.

Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim. On December 4, 1972, Stayner, age 7, was abducted in Merced, California by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He was held by his abductor 200 miles away in Mendocino County, California until he was 14, when he managed to escape with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White.

Cary Anthony Stayner is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. The murders occurred in Mariposa County, California, near Yosemite National Park. Stayner was sentenced to death for the four murders, and is still on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California.

Janet Leigh was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author, whose career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Leigh had her first formal foray into acting, appearing in radio programs before making her film debut in the drama The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947).

Diana Serra Cary, known as Baby Peggy, was an American child film actress, vaudevillian, author and silent film historian. She was one of the last living film stars of the Silent Era of Hollywood and the last living person with a substantial career in silent films.

Jalen Romande Green is an American professional basketball player for the NBA G League Ignite. Listed at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 178 pounds (81 kg), he plays the shooting guard position. He was a consensus five-star recruit and the best shooting guard in the 2020 class, with ESPN ranking him number one overall. Green chose to forgo college basketball to join the Ignite. He finished his high school career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California. Green has won three gold medals with the United States at the junior level and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

Gerald Madkins Jr. is an American professional basketball executive who is an assistant general manager for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a former professional basketball player.

Philip H. Lathrop, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer noted for his skills with wide screen technology and detailed approach to lighting and camera placement. He spent most of his life in movie studios. Lathrop was known for such films as Touch of Evil (1958), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Point Blank (1967), Finian's Rainbow (1968), The Traveling Executioner (1970), Portnoy's Complaint (1972), Earthquake (1974), Swashbuckler (1976), The Driver (1978), Moment by Moment (1978), A Change of Seasons (1980), Foolin' Around (1980), Loving Couples (1980), and Deadly Friend (1986).

Dennis Alan Cardoza was the U.S. Representative for California's 18th congressional district from 2003 to 2012. The district took in a large swath of the Central Valley, from Stockton to Fresno. He is a member of the Democratic Party. On October 20, 2011, he announced he would retire from Congress at the end of 2012.