2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mercede
A surname derived from the Spanish word for "mercy" or "grace".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mercede. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mercede surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mercede in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercede, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mercede
The surname Mercede has its origins in the Italian language and can be traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "merces," meaning "reward" or "payment." This connection suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals involved in trade or commerce.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mercede can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions of northern Italy, particularly in the cities of Venice and Genoa, which were major maritime and trading hubs during that era.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Mercede, a merchant from Venice who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade of spices and silks with the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.
In the 15th century, the Mercede surname gained prominence in the city of Florence, where a family of that name held significant influence and wealth. Notably, Lorenzo Mercede (1435-1492) was a prominent banker and patron of the arts, known for his support of artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo.
The name also appears in historical records from the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Valencia, where it may have been introduced by Italian merchants and traders during the period of the Crown of Aragon's maritime dominance in the Mediterranean.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Mercede family settled in the Kingdom of Naples, where they became landowners and held the title of "Duke of Mercede." This noble lineage produced several notable figures, including Antonio Mercede (1540-1612), a renowned military commander who served under the Spanish Crown.
Another prominent individual with the surname Mercede was Giulio Mercede (1598-1679), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of celestial mechanics.
Throughout history, the Mercede surname has been associated with various places, such as the town of Mercede in the Italian region of Piedmont, and the village of Mercede in the Spanish province of Alicante, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mercede
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercede, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mercede bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mercede surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino18.6% · 22
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mercede
Mercede appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,426 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,426 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,305 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mercede surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #132,206 | #143,511 | -8.6% |
| Count | 128 | 118 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mercede bearers went from 128 to 118 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mercede surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mercede?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mercede. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mercede?
Mercede ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Mercede. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mercede.
Has Mercede become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mercede went from 128 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mercede?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercede, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Black (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mercede in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mercede appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Hispanic (18.6%), Black (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mercede (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mercede mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word for "mercy" or "grace". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mercede (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Mercede?
Find out how common the surname Mercede is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.