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

Merrell, 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 Merrell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merrell in America

Merrell is the 4032nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merrell surname appeared 8,809 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Merrell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merrell 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 Merrell

The surname MERRELL is of English origin, deriving from the medieval given name Meryl, an Old English name meaning "by the boundary stream." This name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwestern England during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname MERRELL can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mereville," referring to a landowner in the village of Merevill, located in the county of Somerset. This village's name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "mere," meaning boundary, and "wyll," meaning stream or spring.

During the 13th century, the surname MERRELL began to appear in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Assize Rolls of Somersetshire, with spellings like "Mereville," "Merevile," and "Mervill." These variations reflect the fluid nature of spelling during that period.

Notable individuals bearing the surname MERRELL include John Merrell (c. 1520-1588), a prominent merchant and landowner in Bristol, England, who served as the city's mayor in 1582. Another significant figure was Sir William Merrell (1598-1672), a member of the English Parliament and a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the MERRELL surname began to spread beyond the southwestern regions of England. One example is William Merrell (1629-1698), a Puritan settler who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and later became a prominent landowner and civic leader in the town of Haverhill.

Another noteworthy individual was Samuel Merrell (1722-1799), a Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga.

As the centuries progressed, the MERRELL surname continued to appear in various historical records across England and its colonies, often associated with prominent families, landowners, and influential figures in their respective communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merrell

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

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

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

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