2000
#76,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Merman
A surname derived from mermaid or sea creature folklore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 248 Americans carry the last name Merman. That puts it at #91,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,382,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merman 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
248
1 in 1,382,074
Census rank
#91,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
216
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 216 bearers of the surname Merman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merman
The surname Merman is of English origin and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning a pool or lake, and "mann" meaning a man. Thus, Merman likely referred to someone who lived near a body of water or perhaps worked as a fisherman or boatman.
In medieval times, surnames often denoted a person's occupation or place of residence. The earliest recorded instance of the name Merman appears in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1230, where a John Merman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
The name Merman can also be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Richard le Merman. The use of the prefix "le" indicates that the name was initially used as a descriptive term rather than a fixed surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Merman, who was born in Lincolnshire around 1350. He was a landowner and is mentioned in local records from that period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Merman was John Merman, a successful merchant from London who lived between 1420 and 1490. He was involved in the wool trade and held several influential positions within the city's guilds.
Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Merman, a military commander who served under King Henry VIII during the early 16th century. He played a significant role in the English campaigns in France and was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield.
During the 17th century, a family of Mermans resided in the village of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. One member, Richard Merman (1625-1688), was a local landowner and served as a parish constable.
While the Merman surname is not among the most common in England today, it has a rich history dating back several centuries. The name's origins reflect the strong connection between many early English surnames and the natural landscape or occupations of their bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merman
Among Census respondents with the surname Merman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Merman 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 Merman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merman
Merman 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
-14 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,713 places
2020
#91,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
-2 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,899 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,946 | 232 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | -14 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 8,713 places |
| 2020 | #91,558 | 216 | 0.07 | -2 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 5,899 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 Merman 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 | #85,659 | #91,558 | -6.9% |
| Count | 218 | 216 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merman bearers went from 218 to 216 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 5,899 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #91,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Merman
FAQ
Merman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merman?
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the surname Merman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,382,074 residents.
How common is Merman?
Merman ranks #91,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 216 people with the surname Merman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Merman.
Has Merman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merman went from 218 recorded bearers to 216. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,659 to #91,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Merman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Merman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Merman (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 Merman mean?
A surname derived from mermaid or sea creature folklore. 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 Merman (0.07 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 Merman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.