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

Merchen, 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 Merchen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merchen in America

Merchen is the 58604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merchen surname appeared 346 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 Merchen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merchen 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 Merchen

The surname Merchen is of Germanic origin, deriving from the medieval German name Merchwin or Merchwin. It is believed to have originated in the regions of present-day Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages.

The name Merchen is thought to be derived from the Old Germanic words "marah" meaning "horse" and "win" meaning "friend" or "companion." This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have been associated with horses or had a particular affinity for them.

Some historical records indicate that the name Merchen appeared in various forms, such as Merchwin, Merchin, and Merchin, in medieval German and Dutch documents from the 12th to the 15th centuries. However, there is no known mention of the name in prominent historical records like the Domesday Book.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Merchen was Johann Merchen, a German scholar and writer who lived in the 16th century (born around 1490, died around 1560). He was known for his works on theology and philosophy.

Another notable figure with the name Merchen was Hans Merchen, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century (born around 1520, died around 1590). He is remembered for his detailed engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes.

In the 17th century, there was a Dutch merchant named Pieter Merchen (born around 1610, died around 1680) who was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade with Asia.

The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Gottfried Merchen (born in 1738, died in 1815), a German philosopher and writer who contributed to the development of idealism in German philosophy.

In the 19th century, there was a German musician named Carl Merchen (born in 1820, died in 1890) who was a renowned composer and conductor, known for his works in the classical and romantic genres.

While the surname Merchen has its roots in Germany and the Netherlands, it has since spread to various other parts of the world due to migration and globalization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merchen

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

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

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

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