NameCensus.

UK surname

Merrick

Derived from the Welsh name "Meurig," meaning "sea fortress," or from a place name meaning "bright fortress."

In the 1881 census there were 2,226 people recorded with the Merrick surname, ranking it #1,999 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,931, ranked #2,303, down from #1,999 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Matthew Bethnal Green. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dalmarnock, Rochdale and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Merrick is 3,164 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.7%.

1881 census count

2,226

Ranked #1,999

Modern count

2,931

2016, ranked #2,303

Peak year

1999

3,164 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Merrick had 2,226 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,999 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,931 in 2016, ranked #2,303.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,125 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Merrick surname distribution map

The map shows where the Merrick surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Merrick surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Merrick over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,250 #2,283
1861 historical 1,143 #2,459
1881 historical 2,226 #1,999
1891 historical 2,415 #1,943
1901 historical 2,826 #1,970
1911 historical 3,125 #1,668
1997 modern 3,023 #2,134
1998 modern 3,150 #2,132
1999 modern 3,164 #2,137
2000 modern 3,149 #2,135
2001 modern 3,068 #2,147
2002 modern 3,114 #2,160
2003 modern 3,049 #2,153
2004 modern 3,053 #2,149
2005 modern 2,955 #2,194
2006 modern 2,938 #2,203
2007 modern 2,964 #2,202
2008 modern 2,964 #2,219
2009 modern 3,002 #2,248
2010 modern 3,072 #2,245
2011 modern 3,034 #2,243
2012 modern 2,970 #2,250
2013 modern 2,999 #2,270
2014 modern 3,030 #2,262
2015 modern 2,967 #2,285
2016 modern 2,931 #2,303

Geography

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Where Merricks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Matthew Bethnal Green and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dalmarnock, Rochdale, Dudley, Forest of Dean and Stroud. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dalmarnock Glasgow City
2 Rochdale 022 Rochdale
3 Dudley 031 Dudley
4 Forest of Dean 001 Forest of Dean
5 Stroud 004 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Merrick

These lists show first names that appear often with the Merrick surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Merrick

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Merrick, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Merrick surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Merrick household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Merrick is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Merrick is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Merrick falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Merrick is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Merrick, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Merrick

The surname Merrick originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning a lake or pool, and "ric" meaning a kingdom or domain, thus the name likely referred to someone who lived near a pool or body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Merrick can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records from the reign of King Edward I. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Merrick, Meryke, and Meryck.

In the 16th century, the name Merrick was prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire in northern England. The Lincolnshire parish registers from this period contain several entries of families with the surname Merrick, indicating their presence in the region.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Merrick. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Merestun (Merston) in Wiltshire and Merefeld (Merefield) in Staffordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Merrick throughout history include:

1. John Merrick (c. 1579 - c. 1659), an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "A Discourse on Prodigies" published in 1658.

2. Joseph Merrick (1862 - 1890), better known as the "Elephant Man", who was severely disfigured and exhibited in human exhibitions during the Victorian era.

3. Leonard Merrick (1864 - 1939), a British novelist and playwright, best known for his works "The Man Who Understood Women" and "The Actor-Manager".

4. Roger Merrick (c. 1640 - 1696), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in the late 17th century.

5. William Merrick (1738 - 1819), an English classical scholar and clergyman, known for his translations of works by Tryphiodorus and Oppian.

The surname Merrick is also associated with several place names in England, such as Merrick Wood in Warwickshire and Merrick Hill in Northumberland, which may have influenced the development and distribution of the name in those regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Merrick families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Merrick surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 323 Merricks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.49x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 323 1.49x
Staffordshire 270 3.69x
Lancashire 263 1.02x
Gloucestershire 204 4.80x
Herefordshire 160 18.00x
Somerset 155 4.44x
Worcestershire 114 4.03x
Warwickshire 105 1.92x
Surrey 93 0.88x
Leicestershire 84 3.50x
Yorkshire 59 0.27x
Shropshire 58 3.10x
Berkshire 33 2.03x
Kent 29 0.39x
Cheshire 26 0.54x
Monmouthshire 26 1.66x
Nottinghamshire 23 0.79x
Durham 21 0.33x
Sussex 20 0.55x
Wiltshire 14 0.73x
Hampshire 13 0.29x
Essex 12 0.28x
Lanarkshire 11 0.16x
Oxfordshire 11 0.82x
Derbyshire 10 0.29x
Devon 10 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.61x
Hertfordshire 8 0.54x
Cumberland 7 0.38x
Pembrokeshire 7 1.02x
Ross-shire 7 1.18x
Northumberland 6 0.19x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.57x
Glamorgan 5 0.13x
Northamptonshire 5 0.25x
Lincolnshire 4 0.12x
Royal Navy 3 1.16x
Brecknockshire 2 0.46x
Cornwall 2 0.08x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.42x
Denbighshire 1 0.12x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Radnorshire 1 0.57x
Selkirkshire 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 41 Merricks recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.25x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 41 2.25x
Manchester 39 3.37x
Bethnal Green London 34 3.61x
Aston 31 2.06x
St Pancras London 28 1.60x
Stoke Upon Trent 27 3.48x
Islington London 25 1.19x
Liverpool 25 1.60x
Cannock 23 18.02x
Stanwell 22 137.16x
Oldham 20 2.41x
Walsall Foreign 20 5.29x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 19 4.75x
Stroud 19 22.97x
Aymestrey 18 375.00x
Bristol St Paul In 18 15.89x
Bristol Temple 18 64.31x
Newington 18 2.25x
Culcheth 17 100.89x
Kensington London 17 1.41x
Much Wenlock 17 98.44x
Shoreditch London 17 1.81x
Stone 17 18.17x
Stourbridge 17 23.34x
Wednesbury 17 9.30x
Bristol St George 16 8.14x
St Luke London 16 4.60x
St Marylebone London 16 1.38x
Horton In Bradford 15 4.47x
Kings Norton 15 5.91x
Salford 15 1.98x
Wolverhampton 15 2.67x
Leicester St Mary 14 7.21x
Minehead 14 106.22x
Redmarley 14 188.68x
Leicester St Margaret 13 2.22x
Nottingham St Mary 13 1.72x
Penkridge 13 68.89x
Westbury On Trym 13 9.03x
Bedminster 12 3.66x
Bermondsey 12 1.86x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 2.94x
Coventry Holy Trinity 12 7.35x
Glastonbury 12 42.13x
Hereford All Sts 12 29.47x
Wednesfield 12 11.15x
Amblecote 11 52.73x
Ansley 11 177.99x
Belgrave 11 20.28x
Camberwell 11 0.79x
Great Bolton 11 3.23x
Heap 11 8.06x
Kingswinford 11 4.14x
Paddington London 11 1.38x
Shepperton 11 115.06x
Stranton 11 5.07x
Sunbury 11 42.24x
Tettenhall 11 24.59x
Upper Sapey 11 458.33x
Weston Super Mare 11 12.49x
Yeovil 11 15.52x
Bristol St Michael 10 27.43x
East Bedfont 10 92.94x
Hackney London 10 0.82x
Hereford St Peter 10 42.12x
Linton In Bromyard 10 257.73x
Market Bosworth 10 115.34x
Caverswall 9 23.67x
Cheddar 9 51.28x
Clerkenwell London 9 1.76x
Govan 9 0.52x
Harborne 9 3.84x
Ledbury 9 29.49x
Mortimer 9 115.53x
Stoke Gifford 9 351.56x
Upton 9 292.21x
West Bromwich 9 2.15x
Woolwich 9 3.29x
Aylton 8 1194.03x
Worcester St Martin 8 20.95x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Merrick surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 141
Sarah 94
Elizabeth 89
Ann 46
Eliza 42
Ellen 40
Jane 40
Emily 37
Emma 36
Alice 33
Annie 32
Martha 20
Hannah 17
Harriet 17
Margaret 15
Anne 14
Caroline 14
Lucy 14
Louisa 13
Agnes 12
Maria 12
Ada 11
Charlotte 11
Florence 11
Frances 11
Catherine 10
Edith 10
Fanny 10
Esther 9
Rose 9
Harriett 8
Jessie 8
Julia 8
Sophia 8
Isabella 7
Clara 6
Lydia 6
Susan 6
Amelia 5
Anna 5
Ethel 5
Kate 5
Rebecca 5
Amy 4
Bridget 4
Laura 4
Rosina 4
Selina 4
Eleanor 3
Lizzie 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Merrick surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 142
John 123
George 112
Thomas 92
James 67
Henry 59
Charles 58
Alfred 31
Joseph 28
Edward 25
Richard 22
Frederick 20
Robert 17
Albert 15
Edwin 14
Arthur 13
Harry 12
Samuel 11
Walter 11
Frank 10
Daniel 9
Ernest 9
Francis 9
Isaac 8
Wm. 7
Benjamin 6
Fredrick 6
Thos. 6
Alexander 5
Andrew 5
David 5
Martin 5
Herbert 4
Michael 4
Arnold 3
Geo. 3
Peter 3
Sidney 3
Stephen 3
Authur 2
Chas. 2
Edgar 2
Edmund 2
Frances 2
Fredk. 2
Job 2
Oscar 2
Richd. 2
Saml. 2
Tom 2

FAQ

Merrick surname: questions and answers

How common was the Merrick surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,226 people were recorded with the Merrick surname. That placed it at #1,999 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Merrick surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,931 in 2016. That gives Merrick a modern rank of #2,303.

What does the Merrick surname mean?

Derived from the Welsh name "Meurig," meaning "sea fortress," or from a place name meaning "bright fortress."

What does the Merrick map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Merrick bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.