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

Merrick, 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 Merrick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merrick in America

Merrick is the 4111th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merrick surname appeared 8,629 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 Merrick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merrick 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 Merrick

The surname Merrick originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning a lake or pool, and "ric" meaning a kingdom or domain, thus the name likely referred to someone who lived near a pool or body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merrick can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records from the reign of King Edward I. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Merrick, Meryke, and Meryck.

In the 16th century, the name Merrick was prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire in northern England. The Lincolnshire parish registers from this period contain several entries of families with the surname Merrick, indicating their presence in the region.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Merrick. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Merestun (Merston) in Wiltshire and Merefeld (Merefield) in Staffordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Merrick throughout history include:

1. John Merrick (c. 1579 - c. 1659), an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "A Discourse on Prodigies" published in 1658.

2. Joseph Merrick (1862 - 1890), better known as the "Elephant Man", who was severely disfigured and exhibited in human exhibitions during the Victorian era.

3. Leonard Merrick (1864 - 1939), a British novelist and playwright, best known for his works "The Man Who Understood Women" and "The Actor-Manager".

4. Roger Merrick (c. 1640 - 1696), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in the late 17th century.

5. William Merrick (1738 - 1819), an English classical scholar and clergyman, known for his translations of works by Tryphiodorus and Oppian.

The surname Merrick is also associated with several place names in England, such as Merrick Wood in Warwickshire and Merrick Hill in Northumberland, which may have influenced the development and distribution of the name in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merrick

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

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

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

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