2000
#84,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Mercury
An anglicized variant of the Latin surname "Mercurius", referring to the Roman god Mercury.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 316 Americans carry the last name Mercury. That puts it at #75,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,084,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mercury 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
316
1 in 1,084,666
Census rank
#75,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
276
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 276 bearers of the surname Mercury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercury, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mercury
The surname Mercury is of English origin, derived from the Roman mythological god Mercury, the messenger of the gods. It was originally an occupational surname given to messengers or heralds in the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Mercury dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John le Mercury, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
In the 14th century, the surname was also found in various forms such as Mercurie, Mercurius, and Mercure. These variations were likely influenced by the Latin and French spellings of the name.
The name Mercury was also associated with the town of Mercurie in Normandy, France, which may have contributed to its adoption as a surname in England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One notable bearer of the surname Mercury was Sir Ralph Mercury, a member of the English Parliament who lived in the late 14th century. He served as a knight of the shire for Hertfordshire in 1379 and 1380.
In the 16th century, the surname Mercury was found in the records of the parish of St. Michael Cornhill in London. William Mercury was listed as a resident of the parish in the 1540s.
During the English Renaissance, the surname Mercury was sometimes associated with literary and scholarly pursuits, reflecting the god Mercury's role as the patron of eloquence and communication.
In the 17th century, Thomas Mercury (1605-1688) was a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Eastwood in Essex.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir John Mercury (1670-1737), a British naval officer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, the surname Mercury was found in various parts of England, including London, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable figure was William Mercury (1815-1890), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mercury
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercury, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mercury 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 Mercury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 144
- Black or African American40.2% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 11
- Two or more races3.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mercury
Mercury 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
#76,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
+43 bearers (+20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 7,542 places
2020
#75,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
+26 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 1,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #84,310 | 207 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,768 | 250 | 0.08 | +43 bearers (+20.8%) | Up 7,542 places |
| 2020 | #75,363 | 276 | 0.09 | +26 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 1,405 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 Mercury 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 | #76,768 | #75,363 | 1.8% |
| Count | 250 | 276 | 10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mercury bearers went from 250 to 276 (+10.4% change). The surname moved up 1,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,768 to #75,363.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mercury
FAQ
Mercury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mercury?
Name Census estimates that about 316 living Americans carry the surname Mercury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,084,666 residents.
How common is Mercury?
Mercury ranks #75,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 276 people with the surname Mercury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mercury.
Has Mercury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mercury went from 250 recorded bearers to 276. That is an increase of 26 (+10.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #76,768 to #75,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Mercury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mercury, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Mercury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mercury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (40.2%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Mercury (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 Mercury mean?
An anglicized variant of the Latin surname "Mercurius", referring to the Roman god Mercury. 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 Mercury (0.09 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 common is the surname Mercury?
Find out how many people have the last name Mercury on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.