Find out how popular the last name Meerman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Meerman.

Meerman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Meerman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meerman in America

Meerman is the 119508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meerman surname appeared 145 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Meerman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meerman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meerman

The surname Meerman originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Middle Dutch word "meereman," which means "man of the lake" or "man who lives near a lake." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers resided in close proximity to a body of water, likely a lake or a marsh.

The name Meerman can be traced back to the 13th century, with several historical references mentioning individuals bearing this surname. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the city records of Utrecht, where a certain Ghijsbert Meerman was listed as a landowner in 1276.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the archives of the city of Leiden, where a merchant named Jan Meerman was mentioned in a trade document dated 1348. This indicates that the Meerman family had already established itself as a prominent mercantile clan in the urban centers of the Low Countries.

During the 15th century, the Meerman surname gained further prominence with the rise of Gerard Meerman (1399-1472), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Louvain. His works on canon law and religious philosophy were widely studied throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, the name Meerman was associated with the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. Joost Meerman (1528-1597) was a prominent military commander who fought alongside William of Orange in the struggle for Dutch independence. His bravery and leadership were celebrated in various contemporaneous accounts of the conflict.

The 17th century saw the emergence of Gerrit Meerman (1623-1698), a celebrated Dutch jurist and historian who served as the Grand Pensionary of Holland. His extensive writings on Dutch legal and political history earned him widespread recognition across Europe.

Another notable figure bearing the Meerman surname was Johannes Meerman (1753-1815), a wealthy art collector and patron of the arts who amassed one of the finest private libraries in the Netherlands during the 18th century. His collection of rare books and manuscripts was highly sought after by scholars and bibliophiles throughout Europe.

Additionally, the name Meerman has been associated with various place names and geographical locations in the Netherlands, such as Meermansbrug (Meerman's Bridge) in Utrecht and Meermanshoek (Meerman's Corner) in Leiden. These place names serve as further evidence of the surname's deep roots in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meerman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Meerman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Meerman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meerman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Meerman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Meerman, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!