2000
#3,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,414
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Merrell
Derived from a French place name meaning "small, pleasant lake," or from a Norman personal name meaning "famous wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,897 Americans carry the last name Merrell. That puts it at #3,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merrell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Merrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,632
Census rank
#3,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,631 bearers of the surname Merrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Merrell 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 Merrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 6,949
- Black or African American10.6% · 912
- Two or more races4.0% · 345
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 293
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merrell
Merrell 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
#4,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,809
+395 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#3,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,631
-178 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Up 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,879 | 8,414 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,032 | 8,809 | 2.99 | +395 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #3,990 | 8,631 | 2.89 | -178 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 42 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 Merrell 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 | #4,032 | #3,990 | 1.0% |
| Count | 8,809 | 8,631 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.99 | 2.89 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merrell bearers went from 8,809 to 8,631 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,032 to #3,990.
FAQ
Merrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merrell?
Name Census estimates that about 9,897 living Americans carry the surname Merrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,632 residents.
How common is Merrell?
Merrell ranks #3,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,631 people with the surname Merrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Merrell.
Has Merrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merrell went from 8,809 recorded bearers to 8,631. That is a decrease of 178 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,032 to #3,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Merrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Merrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (6,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Merrell (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 Merrell mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "small, pleasant lake," or from a Norman personal name meaning "famous wolf." 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 Merrell (2.89 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 Merrell?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Merrell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.