Merryman
A nickname surname meaning “the merry man” — someone cheerful, lively, or good-humored.
The #8,572 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,340 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Merryman is a nickname surname built from Middle English merry, meaning cheerful or pleasant, plus man. The adjective merry goes back to Old English myrige, meaning pleasant, sweet, or delightful. In surname form, it would have been given to someone known for a merry or festive temperament.
History
The name is recorded in medieval and post-medieval English records in spellings such as Merryman and Merriman. Nineteenth-century surname writers treated it as a straightforward sobriquet based on personal disposition, and they grouped it with other “mental quality” surnames like Bly, Jolly, and Pleasant. It later appears in parish and civil records in England and, through migration, in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes glossed it literally as “the merry man,” treating it as one of the clearest examples of a nickname surname.
From the historical record
“MERRIMAN \ (Eng.) GAyFELLow[v. Merry, MERRYMAN J and + man] MlRmTTJf- "««•"•-*(*' q.v. MERRY (Eng.) Gay, Blithe, Pleasant [M.E. merie, mine, &c., O.E. myrige] (A.-Fr.-Teut.) the French Mer(r)y, L.Lat. Medericus, O.Teut. Medric [v. under”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)