2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Merinar
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Merinar. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merinar 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Merinar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merinar
The surname MERINAR originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "merino," which refers to a fine quality of wool or a shepherd who tended merino sheep. The name may have originated as an occupational surname for those involved in the wool trade or shepherding.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MERINAR surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century that includes references to individuals with the name in the Basque region. The name appears to have been concentrated in the provinces of Álava, Vizcaya, and Guipúzcoa during this time period.
In the 13th century, there are records of a MERINAR family residing in the town of Legazpia, which was known as Legazpia de Merinar at the time. This suggests that the surname may have also been associated with a specific place or location in the Basque region.
Notable individuals with the MERINAR surname throughout history include:
1. Juan de MERINAR (c. 1450-1512), a prominent wool merchant from Bilbao, who played a significant role in establishing trade routes between Spain and the Low Countries.
2. María MERINAR (c. 1520-1585), a landowner and patron of the arts from the village of Zaldibia, known for commissioning several religious artworks for local churches.
3. Pedro MERINAR (c. 1580-1648), a Basque sailor and explorer who accompanied Juan de Oñate's expedition to New Mexico in the early 17th century.
4. Martín MERINAR (c. 1660-1725), a renowned architect from San Sebastián who designed several churches and public buildings in the Basque Country during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
5. Juana MERINAR (c. 1785-1865), a Basque author and poet who wrote extensively about the culture and traditions of the Basque people, contributing to the preservation of the Basque language and literature.
While the MERINAR surname has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to countries with significant Basque diaspora populations, such as Argentina, Mexico, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merinar
Among Census respondents with the surname Merinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Merinar 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 Merinar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merinar
Merinar 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,954 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 13,954 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,306 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 Merinar 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 | #141,140 | #149,446 | -5.9% |
| Count | 118 | 110 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merinar bearers went from 118 to 110 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #149,446.
FAQ
Merinar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merinar?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Merinar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Merinar?
Merinar ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Merinar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Merinar.
Has Merinar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merinar went from 118 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Merinar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Merinar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merinar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Merinar (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 Merinar mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Merinar (0.04 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 share the surname Merinar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.