2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Merrida
An uncommon surname of unknown origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Merrida. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merrida 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Merrida in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrida, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merrida
The surname Merrida is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Catalonia. It is derived from the Catalan word "merda," which means "luck" or "fortune." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who were considered fortunate or prosperous.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Merrida can be traced back to the late 13th century in various municipal records and census documents from the city of Barcelona. One notable example is a land deed from 1287 that mentions a certain Pere Merrida, who was a landowner in the outskirts of the city.
During the 15th century, the name Merrida gained prominence in the nearby town of Vilafranca del Penedès, where it was associated with a prominent family of merchants and vineyard owners. One member of this family, Jaume Merrida (1432-1498), was a respected wine trader who established business ties with merchants in Italy and France.
In the 16th century, the Merrida name spread beyond Catalonia as some members of the family migrated to other parts of Spain and the Americas. One such individual was Diego Merrida (1547-1621), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico and later served as a colonial administrator in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
Another notable figure with the surname Merrida was María Merrida (1680-1756), a renowned Spanish artist and painter who was known for her religious works and portraits. Her paintings can be found in several churches and museums throughout Spain.
In the 19th century, the Merrida name gained recognition in the field of literature with the writer and poet Ramón Merrida (1822-1892). He was a prominent figure in the Catalan Renaixença, a cultural movement that aimed to revive the Catalan language and literature.
Despite its Spanish origins, the surname Merrida has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For example, there are records of individuals with the name Merrida living in parts of South America, such as Argentina and Chile, as well as in the Philippines and parts of the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merrida
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrida, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Merrida 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 Merrida surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.7% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 14
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- White5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merrida
Merrida appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 4,311 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 Merrida 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 | #151,532 | #147,221 | 2.8% |
| Count | 108 | 113 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merrida bearers went from 108 to 113 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 4,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,221.
FAQ
Merrida surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merrida?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Merrida. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Merrida?
Merrida ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Merrida. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Merrida.
Has Merrida become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merrida went from 108 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 5 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Merrida?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merrida, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Merrida in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merrida appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.7%), Hispanic (12.4%), Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Merrida (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 Merrida mean?
An uncommon surname of unknown origin and meaning. 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 Merrida (0.04 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 have the surname Merrida?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.