Find out how popular the last name Mervin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mervin.
A variant spelling of the French surname Mervin, derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "famed friend".
Mervin, 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 Mervin surname is from the 2010 census data.
Mervin is the 42720th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Mervin surname appeared 507 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mervin.
We can also compare 2010 data for Mervin 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 42720 | 40265 | 5.92% |
| Count | 507 | 512 | -0.98% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.19 | -11.11% |
The surname Mervin is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Merfyn," which is thought to be a compound of the elements "mere" meaning "pool" or "lake" and "fyn" meaning "fin" or "white." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a white or bright pool or lake.
Mervin is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Meruyn." This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 13th century, the name was often associated with the village of Marvin in Cheshire, which was recorded as "Meruyn" in ancient documents. This suggests that some Mervin families may have originated from or held lands in this area.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Mervin surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Mervin, a prominent English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. Another was William Mervin, a 16th-century English author and translator who published works on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with the arrival of Robert Mervin, an early Puritan settler who emigrated from England in the 1630s. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of New England.
One of the most famous bearers of the Mervin surname was James Mervin (1730-1809), an American revolutionary war veteran and politician who served as a member of the Continental Congress and later as a judge in Pennsylvania.
Another noteworthy individual was John Mervin (1859-1925), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Tate Britain and the Royal Masonic School for Boys.
While the surname Mervin has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, where it was likely associated with specific geographic locations and derived from Old English personal names.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mervin.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mervin was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 54.04% | 274 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 41.22% | 209 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.97% | 10 |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.17% | 11 |
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 Mervin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 54.04% | 52.73% | 2.45% |
| Black | 41.22% | 41.21% | 0.02% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 1.97% | 1.56% | 23.23% |
| Hispanic | 2.17% | 3.13% | -36.23% |
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 Mervin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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