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Merry Family History

Merry Surname Meaning

English: nickname from Middle English merie mirie murie ‘merry pleasant’ (Old English myrge). Compare Merriman.

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Mearadhaigh Ó Meardha ‘descendant of Mearadhach a descendant of Meardha’ personal names derived from an adjective meaning ‘lively wild or high-spirited’. Where Irish dh has been Anglicized as g there is possible confusion with Merrick.

French: variant of Mery French: habitational name from Merry in Yonne or Merri in Orne derived from the Latin personal name Matrius + the suffix -acum. Compare Mery.

English: perhaps sometimes a variant of Mary.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Merry family from?

You can see how Merry families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Merry family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Merry families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 30 Merry families living in New York. This was about 26% of all the recorded Merry's in USA. New York had the highest population of Merry families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Merry surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Merry ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Merry. 17% of Merry men worked as a Farmer and 11% of Merry women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Merry were Clerk and Teacher.

View Census Data for Merry | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    17%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Clerk
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    11%
  • Clerk
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
  • Teacher
    8%

What Merry family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 75,000 census records available for the last name Merry. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Merry census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Merry

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Merry. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Merry immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Merry. For the veterans among your Merry ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Merry military records

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