2000
#46,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Merryfield
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a happy or cheerful field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 547 Americans carry the last name Merryfield. That puts it at #47,869 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 626,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merryfield 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Merryfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
547
1 in 626,608
Census rank
#47,869
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
477
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 477 bearers of the surname Merryfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47869th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merryfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merryfield
The surname Merryfield originates from England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "myrige" meaning "pleasant" and "feld" meaning "field" or "open land". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a pleasant open field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1195, where it appears as "Willelmus de Murifeld". This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been pronounced with a longer "u" sound.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 mentions a "Robertus de Muryfeld". This record provides evidence of the name's continued presence in the region during this period.
The Merryfield name can also be traced back to various locations in England, such as the village of Merrifield in Somerset and the hamlet of Merefield in Cheshire. These place names may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Merryfield throughout history include:
1. John Merryfield (c. 1530-1587), an English composer and organist who served at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
2. William Merryfield (1695-1766), a British soldier and landowner who fought in the War of the Austrian Succession.
3. Mary Merryfield (1784-1850), an English philanthropist and educator who established several schools for underprivileged children in London.
4. Thomas Merryfield (1816-1892), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Bristol.
5. Alfred Merryfield (1848-1915), a British horticulturist and writer who specialized in the cultivation of daffodils and published several books on the subject.
While the surname may have evolved in its spelling over time, its roots can be traced back to the pleasant fields and meadows of medieval England, reflecting the rural origins and associations of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merryfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Merryfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Merryfield 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 Merryfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 421
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 22
- Two or more races3.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merryfield
Merryfield 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
#47,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 441
+14 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 1,127 places
2020
#47,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 477
+36 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,839 | 427 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,966 | 441 | 0.15 | +14 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 1,127 places |
| 2020 | #47,869 | 477 | 0.16 | +36 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 97 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 Merryfield 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 | #47,966 | #47,869 | 0.2% |
| Count | 441 | 477 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.16 | 6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merryfield bearers went from 441 to 477 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,966 to #47,869.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Merryfield
FAQ
Merryfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merryfield?
Name Census estimates that about 547 living Americans carry the surname Merryfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 626,608 residents.
How common is Merryfield?
Merryfield ranks #47,869 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 477 people with the surname Merryfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Merryfield.
Has Merryfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merryfield went from 441 recorded bearers to 477. That is an increase of 36 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,966 to #47,869.
What does the Census say about the background of Merryfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merryfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Merryfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merryfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (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 Merryfield (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 Merryfield mean?
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a happy or cheerful field. 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 Merryfield (0.16 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 are called Merryfield?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Merryfield, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.