The Merkel surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,991 people carried this name — #5,022 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 42,200 people counted. That is up 6% from 6,577 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Merkel surname
A surname in German.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Merkel» (Portuguese), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Poland’s population register
322 people named Merkel have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 420 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 12 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 227 people named Merkel.
27 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 15 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 212 people named Merkel live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
127 people named Merkel live in Switzerland.
They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
144 people named Merkel is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Merkel in American newspapers,
1913–1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 26,365 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Merkel,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Paul Wolfgang Merkel 1756–1820 · politician -
Daniel Merkel 1714–1782 · pastor
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Caspar Gottlieb Merkel 1715–1783 · merchant
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Johann Ludwig Merkel 1721–1785 · merchant
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Gottlieb Merkel 1734–1807 · pastor
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Johann Jakob Merkel 1748–1817 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Merkel.
- Mergen 850 · U.S. census
- Meri 201 · U.S. census
- Merian 197 · U.S. census
- Merin 367 · U.S. census
- Merino 11,684 · U.S. census
- Merit 221 · U.S. census
- Merkling 299 · U.S. census
- Merlan 379 · U.S. census
- Merle 1,302 · U.S. census
- Merlet 126 · U.S. census
- Merley 119 · U.S. census
- Merli 318 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Merkel is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.