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

Mercier, 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 Mercier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mercier in America

Mercier is the 4361st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mercier surname appeared 8,149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Mercier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mercier 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 Mercier

The surname Mercier has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is an occupational surname derived from the Old French word "mercier," which means "merchant" or "trader." It referred to individuals who were involved in the mercantile trade, either as merchants, shopkeepers, or peddlers.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mercier can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. One notable early record is the Pipe Rolls of Normandy from 1180, which mentions a certain Radulfus Mercier.

In the 13th century, the surname Mercier appeared in several historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, which recorded a Petrus Mercier in 1240. The name was also found in the Masselin Cartulary from Flanders in 1290, where a certain Johannes Mercier was mentioned.

As the name spread across France, it evolved into various spellings and forms, including Mercier, Mersier, Merciere, and Mersière. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.

Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Mercier. One of the earliest was Philippe Mercier (1689-1760), a French painter and etcher who worked in England and became a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Another prominent figure was Louis Sébastien Mercier (1740-1814), a French dramatist, writer, and revolutionary who is best known for his utopian novel "L'An 2440" (The Year 2440).

In the field of literature, Désiré Mercier (1851-1926) was a Belgian poet and writer who played a significant role in the Flemish literary revival of the late 19th century.

The name Mercier also has a strong association with the military. One example is Honoré Mercier (1840-1894), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 11th Premier of Quebec from 1887 to 1891.

Another notable individual was Eugène Mercier (1838-1899), a French general who played a crucial role in the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

While the surname Mercier has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and exploration, with bearers of the name found in countries such as Belgium, Canada, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mercier

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

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

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

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