The Merrick surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,629 people carried this name — #4,111 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,360 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Merrick surname

Anglicisation of Welsh Meurig.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Merrick» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Merick’.

An early record he cites: Henry Meriche, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Merrick and Meyrick.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 528 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 7 births for the Merrick name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 3
Leinster 2
Connacht 1
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Merrick was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Herefordshire: 17 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 588. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Herefordshire 17
Shropshire 12
Middlesex 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

143 families named Merrick, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 802 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Merrick, Merack, Meragh, Merick, Merricks, Merrik, Mirach, Mireck, Mirich, Mirick, Miriek, Mirrick, Myrick. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 56
New York 18
Pennsylvania 16
North Carolina 15
Maryland 9
Maine 8
Connecticut 7
South Carolina 6
New Hampshire 3
Vermont 3
Virginia 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Merrick in American newspapers,
1877–1921.

Newspaper page from Essex County Herald carrying the name Merrick
Essex County Herald 1899-04-07
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Merrick
Great Falls Tribune 1921-09-11
Newspaper page from Memphis Daily Appeal carrying the name Merrick
Memphis Daily Appeal 1877-02-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,959 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Merrick in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

9,322 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Merrick. The most, 1,638, date from the 1920s. 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 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,943
Victoria 1,699
Western Australia 1,035
Queensland 654
Tasmania 474
South Australia 432
ACT (Canberra) 48
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Merrick,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Merrick
    John Merrick 1756–1829
  • Pliny T. Merrick
    Pliny T. Merrick 1794–1867 · judge
  • Samuel Vaughan Merrick
    Samuel Vaughan Merrick 1801–1870 · pioneer
  • Joseph Merrick
    Joseph Merrick 1808–1849 · missionary
  • Edwin Thomas Merrick
    Edwin Thomas Merrick 1809–1897 · jurist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 86 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Merrick,
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 States1,199 records

1,199 records of the Merrick name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 351
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 321
  • Other U.S. records 527
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hazel E. Merrick

    Born 1904 in Montana. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at San Diego, California; draftsman. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Chester from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; clerk. From Westmorland, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Lee Merrick

    Born 1943; from Ames, Iowa. U.S. Navy, pilot; died in an accident 1968 in Offshore, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,199 records for Merrick in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia321 records

321 records of the Merrick name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 137
  • Tasmanian Names Index 81
  • Other Australian records 103
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Merrick

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Baretto Junior, sailing from Downs in 1850. Native of St George in the East, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Isaac Merrick

    Born 1906 in St℗¿Helens, Tasmania. Died 1932 in Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Edward Merrick

    Born 1858 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1895 in Fingal, Tasmania, aged 36. Died 1935 in Tasmania, aged 75.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 321 records for Merrick in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada119 records

119 records of the Merrick name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 78
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Other Canadian records 28
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Richard Merrick

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Three Friends, bound for River St Johns, aged 32.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Dorothy Ellen Merrick

    Buried in 1992 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 85.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record George Merrick

    Died in service in 1919.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 119 records for Merrick in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom30 records

30 records of the Merrick name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Victor Merrick

    Died 1989, aged 68; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Annie Merrick

    Will proved in 1937; of Old Colwyn, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Merrick

    Somerset Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Merrick in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand7 records

7 records of the Merrick name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Merrick

    Died 1988, aged 85; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Walter Herbert Merrick

    Died 1964, aged 82; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gertrude May Merrick

    Died 1967, aged 72; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Merrick in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Merrick name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Herbert Henry Merrick

    Married in 1946 in Zeist.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Anna Merrick

    Buried in 1741 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Johannis Merrick

    Baptised in 1740 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Merrick.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Merrick 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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