2000
#11,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Merwin
Welsh surname derived from the given name Merfyn, meaning "marrow" or "great eminent lord" in Welsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,796 Americans carry the last name Merwin. That puts it at #12,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merwin 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.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,587
Census rank
#12,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,438 bearers of the surname Merwin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merwin
Among Census respondents with the surname Merwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Merwin 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 Merwin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,210
- Two or more races4.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merwin
Merwin 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
#11,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
+62 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 579 places
2020
#12,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,438
-224 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,188 | 2,600 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,767 | 2,662 | 0.90 | +62 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 579 places |
| 2020 | #12,194 | 2,438 | 0.82 | -224 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 427 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 Merwin 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 | #11,767 | #12,194 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,662 | 2,438 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merwin bearers went from 2,662 to 2,438 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,767 to #12,194.
FAQ
Merwin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merwin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,796 living Americans carry the surname Merwin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,587 residents.
How common is Merwin?
Merwin ranks #12,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,438 people with the surname Merwin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,796), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Merwin.
Has Merwin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merwin went from 2,662 recorded bearers to 2,438. That is a decrease of 224 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,767 to #12,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Merwin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Merwin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merwin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Merwin (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 Merwin mean?
Welsh surname derived from the given name Merfyn, meaning "marrow" or "great eminent lord" in Welsh. 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 Merwin (0.82 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 share the surname Merwin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.