Merrell
A surname probably arising as a diminutive or variant of older personal names such as Muriel, Morell, or Merrick.
The #4,032 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,049 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources do not agree on a single origin for Merrell. One line of explanation treats it as a spelling or pronunciation variant related to Muriel or Morell, while another connects it with diminutive forms grouped with Merrick and similar names. Older writers also linked it to Germanic name elements, but those proposals are speculative and not always consistent with one another. In short, Merrell is best understood as a surname that developed from a medieval personal name, with several possible routes of formation.
History
19th-century surname writers note that forms like Merrall, Merrell, and Merril appeared as variants in use and sometimes as pronunciations influenced by the given name Muriel. The name is recorded in English surname studies, but the exact pathway from a medieval forename to the modern surname remains disputed. Today it survives chiefly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes grouped Merrell with Merrett and Merrick because the names could blur together in speech and spelling.
From the historical record
“MERLLN^. The old personal name. MERRELL. Probably the sauie as Mur- rell, Morell, which see. MERRICK MERRICKS. JIERRIX. See Meyrick. 1\IERRIDEW. The same as ]Meriday. MERRIFIELD. The site of Salisbury Catliedral is so called in medieval docu- ments, being a corruption of St. Mary's”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom