The Merritt surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 45,594 people carried this name — #756 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,470 people counted. That is up 2% from 44,626 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Merritt surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Merriott’.

His entry covers Merritt and Merrett.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

200 families named Merritt, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,120 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Merritt, Merett, Merit, Meritt, Merratt, Merret, Merrett, Merrit, Merrits, Merrot, Mirrit, Mirritt. 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

New York 67
North Carolina 54
Massachusetts 30
Connecticut 18
Maine 7
Vermont 5
Virginia 5
Pennsylvania 4
Maryland 4
South Carolina 3
Rhode Island 2
New Hampshire 1

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

Merritt in American newspapers,
1842–1919.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Merritt
The Birmingham Age-herald 1919-11-28
Newspaper page from Genius Of Liberty carrying the name Merritt
Genius Of Liberty 1842-01-22
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Merritt
The Birmingham Age-herald 1911-11-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 320,464 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Merritt in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

19,649 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Merritt. The most, 4,233, date from the 1920s. Queensland has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 5,057
Victoria 5,051
New South Wales 3,737
South Australia 2,731
Western Australia 2,383
Tasmania 605
ACT (Canberra) 39
Northern Territory 18

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

Who carried it

People named Merritt,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Lincoln Merritt
    James Lincoln Merritt 1816–1877 · politician
  • Samuel A. Merritt d. 1904 · politician
  • Mary Martha Presley Merritt d. 1994 · politician
  • Liz Jamieson-Hastings d. 2022 · justice of the peace
  • Winifred Merritt d. 1981 · university student
  • Josiah Merritt d. 1882

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Merritt,
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 States4,171 records

4,171 records of the Merritt name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,562
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,199
  • Other U.S. records 1,410
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Terry Lee Merritt

    Born 1948; from Alexandria, Louisiana. U.S. Army, field artillery basic; died in service 1970 in Binh Thuan, South Vietnam. Buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 Richard D. Merritt

    Born 1925 in New York. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Dix, New Jersey; doorman from Putnam County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Cold Spring Cemetery, New York.

    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 Hebert Merritt

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Chester from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 26; merchant. From York, England; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 4,171 records for Merritt 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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: 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).

Australia665 records

665 records of the Merritt name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 301
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 120
  • Other Australian records 244
  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 Ann Merritt

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from London in 1850. Native of Suffolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Henry Merritt

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1853. Married 1853 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Samuel Henry Merritt

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Kent, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 665 records for Merritt in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada308 records

308 records of the Merritt name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 248
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 16
  • Other Canadian records 44
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record S'l Merritt

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Newcastle, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Merritt

    Killed in 1903 at the Port Hood Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Velma Merritt

    Died 1976, aged 62; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 308 records for Merritt in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. 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); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the Merritt name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 23
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Merritt

    Buried in 1824 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 62.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Robert A. Merritt

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Merritt

    Duke of Wellington's Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 28 records for Merritt 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 Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand24 records

24 records of the Merritt name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 23
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Pearle Elizabeth Merritt

    Died 1966, aged 68; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record A. G. Merritt

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Samuel Merritt

    Buried in 1884 at Akaroa Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 51.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Merritt in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Merritt 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 Genevieve May Merritt

    Born 1924 in Saintes (Charente-Maritime); died 1990 in Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine).

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

    Born 1932 in Neuilly-sur-Seine; died 1996 in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Merritt.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Merritt 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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