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

Merkel, 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 Merkel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merkel in America

Merkel is the 5022nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merkel surname appeared 6,991 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Merkel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merkel 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 Merkel

The surname Merkel is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, particularly in the areas of modern-day Germany and Austria. It is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "marc," meaning "boundary" or "border." This suggests that the name may have initially been applied to someone who lived near a territorial boundary or marking.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merkel can be found in the 13th century, when a person named Konrad Merkel was mentioned in historical records from the German state of Thuringia. During this time, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Merkel," "Merckel," or "Merckell," reflecting regional dialect variations.

In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical documents, including land registries and town records, in various parts of Germany and Austria. For example, a "Heinrich Merkel" was listed as a landowner in the town of Regensburg in 1367, while a "Johannes Merckel" was recorded as a merchant in the city of Nuremberg in 1392.

Throughout the centuries, the Merkel surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Johann Merkel, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1525 to 1594. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and wrote extensively on astronomical observations.

Another prominent figure bearing the Merkel name was Johann Nicolaus Merkel, a German composer and music theorist who lived from 1714 to 1783. He was known for his works on music theory and his compositions for various instruments, including the harpsichord and organ.

In the 19th century, a German writer and journalist named Garlieb Helwig Merkel (1769-1850) gained recognition for his travel writings and his critical works on literature and culture. He is particularly remembered for his accounts of his travels through Europe and his insights into the social and political conditions of the time.

The Merkel surname has also been associated with several notable figures in more recent history. One such individual was Rudolf Merkel (1876-1956), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern urban planning principles and the design of cities in the early 20th century.

Another prominent individual with the Merkel surname was the German-American physicist Robert Merkel (1923-2006), who made important contributions to the field of solid-state physics and was involved in the development of semiconductor devices and technologies.

While the surname Merkel has its roots in central Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated and settled in different regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merkel

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

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

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

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