Mergeron
Mysterious and whimsical name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mergeron. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mergeron today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mergeron births was 1984 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mergeron. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mergeron. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1984
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1984 SSA rank
#6,984
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Mergeron: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mergeron by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mergeron during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mergeron
The name Mergeron has its origins in the ancient Gaulish language, spoken by Celtic tribes that inhabited present-day France, Belgium, and parts of Germany during the Iron Age (c. 800 BC - c. 1st century BC). It is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root *merg, meaning "to remain, to last," and the suffix -on, which was a common way of forming personal names in Gaulish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mergeron can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Strabo (c. 64 BC - c. AD 24), who mentioned a Gaulish chieftain named Mergeron in his work "Geographica." This suggests that the name was already in use among the Gauls at least two millennia ago.
In the 5th century AD, a Frankish warrior named Mergeron is said to have played a significant role in the Battle of Chalons (451 AD), which halted the westward advance of Attila the Hun's forces. While details about his life are scarce, his name is recorded in several historical accounts of the time, solidifying the name's presence in the early medieval period.
During the Middle Ages, the name Mergeron was borne by several notable figures, including Mergeron de Montfort (c. 1150 - 1228), a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Fourth Crusade and the Albigensian Crusade. Another prominent bearer of the name was Mergeron de Charny (c. 1270 - 1349), a French knight who was entrusted with the safekeeping of the Shroud of Turin, a religious relic believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.
In the Renaissance era, the name Mergeron was associated with the humanist scholar Mergeron Ficino (1433 - 1499), an Italian philosopher and translator who played a pivotal role in the revival of Platonic thought and the spread of Renaissance Neoplatonism.
During the 17th century, Mergeron de La Salle (1651 - 1719), a French priest and educational reformer, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic teaching order dedicated to providing free education to the poor. His pioneering work in establishing modern pedagogical methods and establishing teacher training colleges earned him recognition as the patron saint of teachers in the Catholic Church.
While the name Mergeron has waned in popularity in recent times, its deep roots in ancient Gaulish culture and its association with notable figures throughout history have solidified its place as a unique and historically significant name.
People
Mergeron + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mergeron as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mergeron: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mergeron?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mergeron going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Mergeron a common name?
We classify Mergeron as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mergeron most popular?
The single biggest year for Mergeron was 1984, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mergeron is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mergeron in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mergeron a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mergeron in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mergeron still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mergeron in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mergeron can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Mergeron?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Mergeron at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.