2000
#72,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Merhi
An Arabic surname with an uncertain meaning, potentially related to nobility or courage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537 Americans carry the last name Merhi. That puts it at #48,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 638,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merhi 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.
Bearers in the US
537
1 in 638,276
Census rank
#48,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
468
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468 bearers of the surname Merhi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merhi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merhi
The surname Merhi has its origins in the Levant region, specifically Lebanon. It is an Arabic surname derived from the root word "merhi," which means "pasture" or "grazing land." The earliest known records of this surname date back to the late 16th century in the mountainous areas of Mount Lebanon, where many families with this surname resided.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Merhi can be found in a manuscript from the Maronite Church archives, dated 1587, which mentions a man named Yusuf Merhi. This document provides insight into the presence of this surname in the region during that time period.
In the 18th century, the Merhi surname gained prominence in the city of Deir El Qamar, located in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon. This city was a center of trade and culture, and several notable individuals with the Merhi surname left their mark on its history. One such individual was Ibrahim Merhi (1722-1794), a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the region.
The 19th century saw the migration of many Merhi families from Mount Lebanon to other parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One notable figure from this period was Khalil Merhi (1832-1908), a Lebanese writer and journalist who settled in Egypt and became a prominent figure in the Arab literary renaissance known as the Nahda.
Another important figure was Michel Merhi (1867-1942), a Maronite Catholic priest and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Syriac literature and the preservation of Lebanese cultural heritage.
In more recent history, the Merhi surname has been associated with several influential individuals, such as Elias Merhi (1915-2000), a Lebanese-American artist and sculptor known for his abstract works, and Rashid Merhi (1921-2005), a renowned Lebanese poet and writer.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Merhy, Merhie, and Merhey, have also been documented throughout history, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic nuances of the areas where the Merhi families resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merhi
Among Census respondents with the surname Merhi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Merhi 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 Merhi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 436
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 19
- Two or more races1.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merhi
Merhi 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
#57,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
+108 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 15,616 places
2020
#48,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+111 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 8,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,717 | 249 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,101 | 357 | 0.12 | +108 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 15,616 places |
| 2020 | #48,712 | 468 | 0.16 | +111 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 8,389 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 Merhi 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 | #57,101 | #48,712 | 14.7% |
| Count | 357 | 468 | 31.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.16 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merhi bearers went from 357 to 468 (+31.1% change). The surname moved up 8,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,101 to #48,712.
FAQ
Merhi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merhi?
Name Census estimates that about 537 living Americans carry the surname Merhi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 638,276 residents.
How common is Merhi?
Merhi ranks #48,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 468 people with the surname Merhi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Merhi.
Has Merhi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merhi went from 357 recorded bearers to 468. That is an increase of 111 (+31.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,101 to #48,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Merhi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merhi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Merhi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merhi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Merhi (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 Merhi mean?
An Arabic surname with an uncertain meaning, potentially related to nobility or courage. 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 Merhi (0.16 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 Merhi?
See how many Americans have the surname Merhi on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.