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

Merrifield, 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 Merrifield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merrifield in America

Merrifield is the 9088th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merrifield surname appeared 3,596 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 Merrifield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merrifield 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 Merrifield

The surname Merrifield is an English locational name derived from the village of Merrifield in Somerset. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "merry" meaning pleasant or agreeable, and "feld" meaning a field or open land.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Merrifield can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Merefelde." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name Merrifield was primarily found in the counties of Somerset and Wiltshire, where the original village was located. It is likely that the name spread to other parts of England as families migrated or established new settlements.

Notable historical figures with the surname Merrifield include:

1. John Merrifield (c. 1522-1596), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Ashburton in Devon.
2. Mary Merrifield (1768-1849), a British botanist and writer, known for her work on the study of mosses and lichens.
3. John Merrifield (1782-1835), an English inventor and engineer who designed a reaping machine and other agricultural implements.
4. Charles Watkins Merrifield (1827-1884), a British chemist and writer, who published several works on the history of ancient art and technology.
5. Frederick Merrifield (1838-1924), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.

Over time, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Merryfield, Merefield, and Merrifeild. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic spellings, and clerical errors in record-keeping.

The name Merrifield has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Merrifield Farm in Somerset and Merrifield House in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merrifield

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

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

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

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