2000
#66,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Merlan
A surname of French origin referring to a whiting or hake fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 453 Americans carry the last name Merlan. That puts it at #55,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 756,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merlan 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
453
1 in 756,632
Census rank
#55,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
395
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 395 bearers of the surname Merlan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merlan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merlan
The surname Merlan is believed to have its origins in France, specifically in the region of Normandy. It emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "merlan," which means "whiting," a type of fish. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who caught or sold whiting for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merlan can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Radulfus Merlan, indicating the presence of this surname in Normandy during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Gervais Merlan, who was a vassal to the Count of Anjou in the region of Anjou, France. His name appears in several charters and legal documents from that period.
During the 14th century, the surname Merlan appears to have spread beyond France. In England, there are records of a merchant named John Merlan, who was involved in the wool trade and lived in the city of Bristol around 1320.
One of the most notable figures with the surname Merlan was Jehan Merlan, a French poet and composer who lived during the 15th century (c. 1430-1480). He was associated with the Burgundian court and is known for his contributions to the genre of chansons, which were popular during the Renaissance.
Another prominent individual was Jean Merlan (1595-1670), a French Jesuit priest and philosopher. He was born in Toul, France, and was a respected scholar who wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and natural philosophy.
In the 18th century, there was a French military officer named Louis-François Merlan (1732-1805), who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and rose to the rank of General.
The surname Merlan has also been associated with place names, such as the village of Merlan in the department of Isère, France, which may have influenced the formation of the surname in some cases.
While the surname Merlan is not as common as some other French surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval times, with connections to various professions, such as fishing, trade, and military service, as well as cultural contributions in the fields of literature and philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merlan
Among Census respondents with the surname Merlan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Merlan 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 Merlan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.0% · 312
- White13.2% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 23
- Two or more races1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merlan
Merlan 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
#54,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 379
+102 bearers (+36.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 12,258 places
2020
#55,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 395
+16 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,563 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,676 | 277 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,418 | 379 | 0.13 | +102 bearers (+36.8%) | Up 12,258 places |
| 2020 | #55,981 | 395 | 0.13 | +16 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 1,563 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 Merlan 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 | #54,418 | #55,981 | -2.9% |
| Count | 379 | 395 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merlan bearers went from 379 to 395 (+4.2% change). The surname moved down 1,563 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,418 to #55,981.
FAQ
Merlan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merlan?
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the surname Merlan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 756,632 residents.
How common is Merlan?
Merlan ranks #55,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 395 people with the surname Merlan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Merlan.
Has Merlan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merlan went from 379 recorded bearers to 395. That is an increase of 16 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #54,418 to #55,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Merlan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merlan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Merlan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merlan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.0%), White (13.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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 Merlan (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 Merlan mean?
A surname of French origin referring to a whiting or hake fish. 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 Merlan (0.13 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 Merlan?
Find out how many people are called Merlan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.