2000
#3,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,656
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Rare Last name
Merriman
An occupational surname for a steward or bailiff, derived from the Anglo-Norman French "mareiman" meaning "horse servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,610 Americans carry the last name Merriman. That puts it at #4,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merriman 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 Merriman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,666
Census rank
#4,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,380 bearers of the surname Merriman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merriman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merriman
The surname Merriman is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "merri" meaning pleasant or merry, and "mann" meaning man. It first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive surname, given to someone with a cheerful or pleasant demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1195, where it is spelled "Merriman". It is also found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1221, suggesting the name was present in different regions of England during this period.
The Merriman surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, and Leicestershire, where it was particularly prevalent in the Middle Ages. The name may also have connections to various place names in these areas, such as Merridale or Merrifield.
One notable early bearer of the Merriman name was John Merriman, a 14th-century merchant and landowner from Coventry, Warwickshire. Records indicate he was involved in the wool trade and held properties in the city.
Another historical figure was William Merriman, a farmer and landowner from Northamptonshire, who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in land records and court rolls from the time.
In the 16th century, the Merriman surname can be found in the parish records of Leicestershire, with several families bearing the name residing in villages such as Lutterworth and Market Harborough.
One of the most renowned individuals with this surname was Nathaniel Merriman (1670-1740), an English clergyman and author from Worcestershire. He wrote several religious works and served as the Rector of Donington in Shropshire.
Another notable Merriman was Samuel Merriman (1721-1793), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Chippenham in Wiltshire during the latter half of the 18th century.
Overall, the Merriman surname has a long and rich history in England, particularly in the Midlands region, where it originated as a descriptive name reflecting a person's pleasant or cheerful nature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merriman
Among Census respondents with the surname Merriman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Merriman 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 Merriman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 7,123
- Black or African American6.5% · 543
- Two or more races4.3% · 359
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merriman
Merriman 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
#3,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,085
+429 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#4,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,380
-705 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,761 | 8,656 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,908 | 9,085 | 3.08 | +429 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #4,111 | 8,380 | 2.80 | -705 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 203 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 Merriman 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 | #3,908 | #4,111 | -5.2% |
| Count | 9,085 | 8,380 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.80 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merriman bearers went from 9,085 to 8,380 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,908 to #4,111.
FAQ
Merriman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merriman?
Name Census estimates that about 9,610 living Americans carry the surname Merriman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,666 residents.
How common is Merriman?
Merriman ranks #4,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.80 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 8,380 people with the surname Merriman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.80 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 Merriman.
Has Merriman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merriman went from 9,085 recorded bearers to 8,380. That is a decrease of 705 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,908 to #4,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Merriman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merriman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Merriman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (7,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merriman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Merriman (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 Merriman mean?
An occupational surname for a steward or bailiff, derived from the Anglo-Norman French "mareiman" meaning "horse servant." 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 Merriman (2.80 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 Merriman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Merriman is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.