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

Mercado, 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 Mercado surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mercado in America

Mercado is the 555th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mercado surname appeared 60,761 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 21 people would have the surname Mercado.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mercado 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 Mercado

The surname Mercado is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "mercado," meaning "market" or "marketplace." It dates back to the medieval period in Spain, when surnames were adopted to identify individuals by their occupation, location, or other distinguishing characteristics.

The name Mercado likely originated among merchants, traders, or individuals who lived near or worked in a marketplace. It first appeared in records from the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of Spain, such as Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mercado can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented landholdings and the rights of noble families in the Kingdom of Castile. The name is also mentioned in the Catastro de Ensenada, a census conducted in the 18th century during the reign of King Ferdinand VI of Spain.

Notable individuals with the surname Mercado include Juan de Mercado (1540-1598), a Spanish composer and organist during the Renaissance period. Another prominent figure was Tomás de Mercado (1523-1575), a Spanish theologian and economist known for his work on the theory of just price.

In the 16th century, the name Mercado was associated with several conquistadors and explorers, such as Pedro de Mercado, who participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. Another notable figure was Juan Mercado, a 17th-century Spanish navigator and cartographer who explored the Pacific Ocean and contributed to the mapping of the Philippines.

The surname Mercado also has a long history in Latin America, particularly in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Argentina, where it was introduced by Spanish settlers and conquistadors during the colonial period. One notable bearer of the name was Tomás Mercado y Revilla (1623-1697), a Spanish-born Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Cusco in Peru.

Throughout history, the surname Mercado has been linked to various places and regions, such as the town of Mercado in the province of Ourense, Spain, and the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, a famous covered market dating back to the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mercado

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

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 Mercado 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 Mercado 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 Mercado was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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