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

Merna, 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 Merna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merna in America

Merna is the 86645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merna surname appeared 215 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 Merna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merna 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 Merna

The surname Merna has its origins in northern Italy, emerging around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "merenda," which refers to a mid-afternoon snack or light meal. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to individuals who prepared or sold such snacks.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merna can be found in a 13th-century document from the city of Genoa, where a merchant named Giacomo Merna is mentioned. This indicates that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Merna family appears to have been concentrated in various towns and villages across northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. The name is also found in some historical records from the nearby regions of Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.

During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Merna was Marco Merna, a renowned architect from the city of Milan. He was responsible for the design and construction of several churches and palaces in the region, including the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, which is still standing today.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Merna family settled in the city of Venice, where they became involved in the thriving textile trade. One member of this family, Giovanni Battista Merna (1625-1688), was a successful merchant and trader who established business connections across Europe and the Mediterranean.

Moving into the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname Merna was Cesare Merna (1712-1789), a lawyer and political figure from the city of Turin. He held several important positions in the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia and was known for his expertise in legal matters.

Another notable Merna from this period was Antonio Merna (1759-1822), a military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose through the ranks and eventually became a brigadier general in the French army, participating in several major campaigns and battles across Europe.

As the centuries progressed, the Merna surname continued to spread across Italy and beyond, with families bearing this name found in various parts of the country and even in other parts of Europe and the Americas due to migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merna

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Merna, 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!