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

Merchain, 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 Merchain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merchain in America

Merchain is the 121590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merchain surname appeared 142 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 Merchain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merchain 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 Merchain

The surname Merchain originated in France during the late medieval period, likely emerging in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old French words "merche" and "chaine," which together translate to "boundary chain" or "border chain." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with boundary markers or chains used to demarcate property lines or territories.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, dated around 1220. The document mentions a "Guillelmus Merchayn" who was a landowner in the region. Another early reference can be found in the Trésor des Chartes d'Anjou, which includes a record from 1278 mentioning a "Jehan Merchein" who was a resident of the village of Beaufort-en-Vallée.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Merchaine," "Merchein," and "Merchyn," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and written forms common during that era. One notable figure from this time was Pierre Merchaine, a merchant and landowner in the Champagne region, who was born around 1320 and died in 1387.

During the Renaissance period, the name continued to be found across various regions of France. In the 16th century, a family of the name Merchain resided in the town of Troyes, where they were involved in the textile trade. One member of this family, Jacques Merchain, was born in 1542 and became a respected master weaver in the city.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals named Merchain living in the Netherlands and Germany. One notable figure from this period was Jean-Baptiste Merchain, a French scholar and linguist who was born in Lyons in 1638 and gained recognition for his work on ancient languages and translations of classical texts.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Merchain surname continued to be found across France and other parts of Europe, with notable individuals including Louis Merchain, a French painter and engraver born in 1762, and Auguste Merchain, a Belgian architect and urban planner born in 1805, who was involved in the development of several major cities in Belgium.

While the surname Merchain may not be as common as some others, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the diverse cultural and geographical influences that have shaped the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merchain

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

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

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

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