2000
#949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.53
Uncommon Last name
Mercer
A surname of French origin referring to a merchant or trader, from Old French "mercier".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,734 Americans carry the last name Mercer. That puts it at #1,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mercer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mercer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,083
Census rank
#1,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,906 bearers of the surname Mercer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mercer
The surname Mercer has its origins in the Old French word "mercier", which means a merchant or trader. It is an occupational surname that initially referred to someone who dealt in textiles or fabrics. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the mercers were part of important trade guilds in medieval Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mercer can be found in England and France. In England, the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Walter le Mercer, who lived in Northamptonshire, England, in the 13th century. The surname was also prevalent in areas with thriving textile industries, such as Norfolk and Yorkshire.
During the Middle Ages, the mercers were highly respected members of society, often holding positions of importance within their guilds and local communities. They were responsible for importing and selling luxurious fabrics, such as silk, velvet, and brocade, which were highly prized by the nobility and wealthy classes.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Mercer was Thomas Mercer, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1376 and was knighted by King Edward III for his services to the crown.
Another prominent individual with the Mercer surname was Hugh Mercer, a Scottish-born soldier and physician who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was a brigadier general in the Continental Army and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton in 1777.
In Scotland, the Mercer surname can be traced back to the 16th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is John Mercer, who was appointed as the King's Principal Mercer in 1544 by King James V of Scotland.
The Mercer family also played a significant role in the colonization of America. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in Virginia, where they became influential landowners and politicians. One notable member was John Mercer, who was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and a prominent patriot during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the surname Mercer has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, soldiers, politicians, and landowners. Despite its occupational origins, the name has become widely dispersed and has been adopted by families across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mercer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mercer 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 Mercer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 26,118
- Black or African American12.4% · 4,090
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,273
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,043
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 212
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 170
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mercer
Mercer 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
#1,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,431
+634 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 11.67
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#1,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,906
-1,525 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 11.01
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #949 | 33,797 | 12.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,016 | 34,431 | 11.67 | +634 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #1,051 | 32,906 | 11.01 | -1,525 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 35 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 Mercer 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 | #1,016 | #1,051 | -3.4% |
| Count | 34,431 | 32,906 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 11.67 | 11.01 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mercer bearers went from 34,431 to 32,906 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,016 to #1,051.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mercer
FAQ
Mercer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mercer?
Name Census estimates that about 37,734 living Americans carry the surname Mercer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,083 residents.
How common is Mercer?
Mercer ranks #1,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,906 people with the surname Mercer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,734), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Mercer.
Has Mercer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mercer went from 34,431 recorded bearers to 32,906. That is a decrease of 1,525 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,016 to #1,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Mercer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercer, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mercer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (26,118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mercer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mercer (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 Mercer mean?
A surname of French origin referring to a merchant or trader, from Old French "mercier". 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 Mercer (11.01 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 Americans have the surname Mercer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.