Explore the Family Name Mercy

The meaning of Mercy

1. Altered form of French Mercier. 2. French: habitational name from any of the places so named in Allier, Meuthe-et-Moselle, and Yonne, derived from the Latin personal name Marcius, Martius, or Mercius + the locative suffix -acum. 3. English (Middlesex and Buckinghamshire): variant of Marsay, itself a variant of Mercer in which final -er has been weakened to -ey. Some characteristic forenames: French Jean Robert.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Mercy in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Mercy saw an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 39,378th most common surname but rose to 38,484th by 2010, reflecting a 2.27% change. The number of people bearing the surname also increased by 9.32%, going up from 526 to 575 during the same period. Yet, the proportion per 100,000 people remained static at 0.19.

20002010Change
Rank#39,378#38,4842.27%
Count5265759.32%
Proportion per 100k0.190.190%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mercy

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Mercy also experienced changes based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of individuals identifying as White and bearing the surname fell by 19.61%, moving from 69.01% in 2000 to 55.48% in 2010. On the other hand, the proportion of Blacks with the Mercy surname rose significantly by 54.02%, shifting from 25.86% to 39.83%. Those identifying as Hispanic saw a slight decline of 1.88% during the decade, while the percentage of those identifying with two or more races also reduced by 31.58%. The surname had no representation among Asian/Pacific Islanders or American Indian and Alaskan Natives during these years.

20002010Change
White69.01%55.48%-19.61%
Black25.86%39.83%54.02%
Hispanic2.66%2.61%-1.88%
Two or More Races1.52%1.04%-31.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%