2000
#8,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,698
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Merry
Derived from a nickname for a happy or pleasant person, from the Middle English word "merry."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,100 Americans carry the last name Merry. That puts it at #8,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merry 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 Merry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,599
Census rank
#8,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,575 bearers of the surname Merry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merry
The surname Merry is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "myrige," which means "pleasant" or "cheerful." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone with a joyful or merry disposition.
The earliest known record of the surname Merry dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire, where a person named William Merry is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists individuals named Merry residing in various counties across England.
During the 13th century, the surname Merry was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. These areas were home to several families bearing this name, as evidenced by various historical records and documents from that period.
One notable individual with the surname Merry was Sir William Merry, a prominent merchant and alderman of London who lived in the late 14th century. He was known for his involvement in the Wool Trade and served as the Sheriff of London in 1387.
Another historical figure bearing the name Merry was Thomas Merry, a Welsh clergyman and scholar born in 1594. He was appointed as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland and made significant contributions to the translation of the Bible into Welsh.
In the 17th century, the surname Merry gained further recognition with the birth of Robert Merry in 1755. He was an English poet and writer who authored several works, including "The Laurel of Liberty" and "The Pains of Memory."
The name Merry has also been associated with various places in England. For instance, the village of Merry Hill in the West Midlands county of Dudley derives its name from the Merry family, who were once landowners in the area. Similarly, the town of Merryworth in Kent is believed to have originated from the Old English words "myrige" and "worth," meaning "pleasant estate."
Throughout history, the surname Merry has been recorded with various spellings, such as Merrie, Merrey, and Merie. These variations were common in earlier times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
While the surname Merry has been present across various regions of England, it has also been documented in other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland, although its origins can be traced back to the English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merry
Among Census respondents with the surname Merry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Merry 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 Merry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 3,152
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 143
- Two or more races3.7% · 134
- Black or African American2.4% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merry
Merry 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
#8,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,704
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 602 places
2020
#8,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,575
-129 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,242 | 3,698 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,844 | 3,704 | 1.26 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 602 places |
| 2020 | #8,807 | 3,575 | 1.20 | -129 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 37 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 Merry 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 | #8,844 | #8,807 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,704 | 3,575 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.20 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merry bearers went from 3,704 to 3,575 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,844 to #8,807.
FAQ
Merry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merry?
Name Census estimates that about 4,100 living Americans carry the surname Merry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,599 residents.
How common is Merry?
Merry ranks #8,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,575 people with the surname Merry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Merry.
Has Merry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merry went from 3,704 recorded bearers to 3,575. That is a decrease of 129 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,844 to #8,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Merry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Merry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (3,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Merry (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 Merry mean?
Derived from a nickname for a happy or pleasant person, from the Middle English word "merry." 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 Merry (1.20 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 last name Merry?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Merry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.