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

Merriam, 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 Merriam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merriam in America

Merriam is the 11322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merriam surname appeared 2,787 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Merriam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merriam 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 Merriam

The surname Merriam originated in England, derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning "pool" or "lake" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name may have originated from individuals who lived near a pool or lake.

The earliest known record of the Merriam surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Merriam" in the county of Lincolnshire. This indicates that the name has been present in England for centuries.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Meriam, Merryam, and Meryam, reflecting the phonetic variations common at that time. Some early records show the name associated with places like Merriamcote in Warwickshire and Merriamwode in Oxfordshire.

One notable individual bearing the Merriam surname was Sir John Merriam (c. 1350-1412), a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire during the reign of King Henry IV. Another was Robert Merriam (c. 1500-1570), a prominent landowner and landowner in Gloucestershire.

In the 16th century, the Merriam family established themselves in the town of Hadlowe, Essex, where they played a significant role in the local community. William Merriam (1598-1673), a member of this family, was one of the early Puritan settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, arriving in 1636.

Other notable individuals with the Merriam surname include George Merriam (1803-1880), an American publisher and co-founder of the Merriam-Webster dictionary; Clinton Hart Merriam (1855-1942), an American naturalist and the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey; and Robert Merriam (1890-1957), an American politician who served as the Governor of California from 1934 to 1939.

The Merriam surname has a rich history, originating from Old English roots and carrying associations with various places in England throughout the centuries. While its spelling has varied over time, the name has been present in historical records for over 900 years and has been borne by individuals of significance in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merriam

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

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

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

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