2000
#4,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Mercier
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the Old French "mercier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,943 Americans carry the last name Mercier. That puts it at #4,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,327 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mercier 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 Mercier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,327
Census rank
#4,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,799 bearers of the surname Mercier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercier, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 13th century, the surname Mercier appeared in several historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, which recorded a Petrus Mercier in 1240.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mercier
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercier, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mercier 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 Mercier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 6,370
- Black or African American8.5% · 662
- Two or more races4.1% · 320
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 298
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mercier
Mercier 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
#4,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,149
+396 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#4,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,799
-350 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,233 | 7,753 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,361 | 8,149 | 2.76 | +396 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #4,406 | 7,799 | 2.61 | -350 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 45 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 Mercier 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 | #4,361 | #4,406 | -1.0% |
| Count | 8,149 | 7,799 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.61 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mercier bearers went from 8,149 to 7,799 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,361 to #4,406.
FAQ
Mercier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mercier?
Name Census estimates that about 8,943 living Americans carry the surname Mercier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,327 residents.
How common is Mercier?
Mercier ranks #4,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,799 people with the surname Mercier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,943), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mercier.
Has Mercier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mercier went from 8,149 recorded bearers to 7,799. That is a decrease of 350 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,361 to #4,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Mercier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercier, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mercier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (6,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mercier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (8.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mercier (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 Mercier mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the 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 Mercier (2.61 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 are called Mercier?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Mercier, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.