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

Merwin, 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 Merwin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merwin in America

Merwin is the 11767th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merwin surname appeared 2,662 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 Merwin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merwin 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 Merwin

The surname MERWIN has its origins in medieval England, specifically in the region of Merionethshire, Wales. It is derived from the Old Welsh words 'merin' and 'gwyn', which together translate to 'white hill' or 'white ridge'. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent white hill or ridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Merewin'. This entry likely refers to a landowner or tenant in the region at the time of the Norman Conquest. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, where the name is spelled 'Merewine'.

In the 13th century, the name MERWIN appeared in various legal and administrative records from the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire, indicating that the name had spread beyond its Welsh origins. Some of these records include the Assize Rolls of Shropshire from 1256 and the Hundred Rolls of Staffordshire from 1273.

One notable figure from this period was Sir John Merwin, a knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward I in the late 13th century. He was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296 for swearing fealty to the English crown.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name MERWIN continued to appear in various records across England, particularly in the counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. One example is William Merwin, a landowner from Shropshire who was mentioned in the Muster Rolls of 1542.

In the 18th century, the name gained prominence through the work of James Merwin, a renowned clockmaker from Warrington, Cheshire. His clocks, crafted between 1720 and 1750, are highly sought after by collectors and are considered among the finest examples of English clockmaking from that era.

Another notable figure was John Merwin, a writer and poet born in Leicestershire in 1766. He published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Muse's Wreath" in 1810, and is considered a significant figure in the literary circles of his time.

In the 19th century, the MERWIN name spread further across the United Kingdom, with families in various regions. One prominent individual was George Merwin, a businessman and philanthropist from Manchester, who made significant contributions to the development of the city's infrastructure and educational institutions in the latter half of the century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merwin

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

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

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

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