Merckx last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Merckx

A surname derived from the Middle Dutch word "merke," meaning a territorial marker or boundary stone.

Merckx, 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 Merckx surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merckx in America

Merckx is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merckx surname appeared 104 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 Merckx.

The history of the last name Merckx

The surname Merckx is of Belgian origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Dutch word "merck," meaning "mark" or "sign," and was likely used as a distinguishing name for someone who had a particular physical mark or feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merckx can be found in the town of Tienen, in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, where it appears in a document dated 1387. The name was also present in other regions of modern-day Belgium, such as Limburg and Antwerp, during the late medieval period.

The Merckx surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Eddy Merckx, a Belgian professional road cyclist who was born in 1945 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He won numerous prestigious races, including the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, and dominated the sport during the 1960s and 1970s.

Another prominent figure with the Merckx surname was Josse Merckx, a 16th-century Flemish painter and engraver who was active in Antwerp. He is best known for his religious and allegorical works, as well as his engravings of architectural designs.

In the 19th century, a Belgian politician named Auguste Merckx served as the mayor of Brussels from 1879 to 1881. He played a significant role in the development and modernization of the city during his tenure.

The name Merckx has also been associated with several places and locations in Belgium. For instance, the village of Meerbeek, located in the province of Flemish Brabant, was formerly known as "Meerbeke" or "Merckbeke," which may have been derived from the same root as the surname.

While the Merckx name has its origins in Belgium, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, the highest concentration of individuals bearing this surname remains in its country of origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merckx

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

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 Merckx was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.27% 97
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Merckx last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 17, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/merckx-surname-popularity/.

"Merckx last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/merckx-surname-popularity/. Accessed 17 July, 2025

Merckx last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/merckx-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.