The Merkle surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,791 people carried this name — #8,668 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 77,500 people counted. That is up 6% from 3,590 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Merkle surname

From the given name Mark, as a patronymic, in a diminutive form with the suffix -le and umlaut.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (de.wiktionary.org, the German edition) — entry «Merkle», by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · translated from German and condensed.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

144 people named Merkle 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

Zurich 47
Bern 16
Solothurn 14
Basel-Stadt 14
Graubünden 11
Lucerne 9
Aargau 9
Fribourg 6

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 Argentina’s national register

At least 84 people named Merkle 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 Chaco.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Chaco 50
Buenos Aires Province 24
Misiones 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 24 people named Merkle.

5 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 5
Bas-Rhin 8
Haut-Rhin 6
Moselle 2
Vosges 2
Var 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Merkle in American newspapers,
1912–1917.

Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Merkle
The Daily Missoulian 1912-10-10
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Merkle
The Daily Missoulian 1912-10-12
Newspaper page from The Midland Journal carrying the name Merkle
The Midland Journal 1917-06-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 38,959 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Merkle in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1990s.

215 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Merkle. The most, 92, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 146
Queensland 26
Victoria 18
ACT (Canberra) 9
South Australia 6
Western Australia 5
Tasmania 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Merkle.

Who carried it

People named Merkle,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Fred Merkle
    Fred Merkle 1888–1956 · baseball player
  • Gustav Merkle 1822–1907 · politician
  • Martha Merkle 1859–1937
  • Martha Merkle 1859–1937
  • Sebastian Merkle 1862–1945 · historian
  • Louise Langan 1870–1950 · community leader

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Merkle,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,241 records

1,241 records of the Merkle name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 481
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 427
  • Other U.S. records 333
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Elliott Lynn Merkle

    Born 1947; from St Clair, Missouri. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ernst Merkle

    Born 1911 in Alaska. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; meat cutter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elisabeth Merkle

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Manchester from Havre, aged 37; farmer. From Baden, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,241 records for Merkle in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany590 records

590 records of the Merkle name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 564
  • German emigration and citizenship files 25
  • German applications to settle and marry 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Merkle

    From Freiburg. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 2 June 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 175).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Elisabeth Merkle

    Emigrated to North America in 1860; factory worker.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Friedrich Merkle

    Left Tiengen for Basel in 1886.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 590 records for Merkle in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Netherlands31 records

31 records of the Merkle name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 18
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 13
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Christine Karoline Merkle

    Married in 1895 in Rotterdam. Died 1907 in Ginneken en Bavel.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Helena Mechtildis Merkle

    Died 1888 in Helden; born in Helden.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Maria Auguste Merkle

    In the population register of Eindhoven; born 1869 in Reinstein (D).

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Eindhoven (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Merkle in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada15 records

15 records of the Merkle name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 13
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Peter Rupert Merkle

    Died 1970; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Jacob Merkle

    Listed at Halifax, Nova Scotia in the census and tax rolls of 1792.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Merkle

    Married 1863 in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 15 records for Merkle in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France11 records

11 records of the Merkle name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Augustine Merkle

    Born 1898 in Bussang; died 1976 in Bussang (Vosges).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Louis Merkle

    Born 1920 in Schiltigheim; died 1997 in Plaine (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Franz Merkle

    Born 1941 in Germany; died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Merkle in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia9 records

9 records of the Merkle name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rose A. Merkle

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Dover Castle, aged 3; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Merkle

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Duke of Athole, aged 25.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Agnes Merkle

    Of Willoughby, New South Wales; died 1928.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Merkle in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Merkle.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Merkle 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.

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