Explore the Family Name Merhar

The meaning of Merhar

Slovenian: from an old spelling of mrhar, a derivative of mrha ‘carrion’, used as a nickname meaning ‘bear’ (see Medved), as an occupational name for a flayer (knacker), and as a derogatory nickname for a hunter. The name could possibly also be an unflattering nickname for someone regarded as a vulture or carrion crow (in a figurative sense). Some characteristic forenames: Slovenian Milan.

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

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

Based on Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Merhar has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 82,019 in 2000, it moved up to 81,181 by 2010—a 1.02% increase. This growth is also reflected in the count of individuals with this surname. There were 214 people with the last name Merhar in 2000, which increased by 8.88% to 233 in 2010. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained the same at 0.08.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#82,019	#81,181	1.02%
Count	214	233	8.88%
Proportion per 100k	0.08	0.08	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Merhar

Regarding ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that nearly all individuals with the surname Merhar identified as White in both 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 97.20% of individuals with this surname identified as White, dropping slightly to 93.99% in 2010. Interestingly, there was an emergence of Hispanic self-identification among those with the Merhar surname, rising from no reported Hispanic individuals in 2000 to 3% in 2010. No significant changes or reports were noted for other ethnic identities such as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.2%	93.99%	-3.3%
Hispanic	0%	3%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%