Given name & surname
Mercer
“a prosperous merchant”·“a storekeeper”
Mercer is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a prosperous merchant” (English) and “a storekeeper” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a prosperous merchant” (English) and “a storekeeper” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mercer through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,558
- 1,345 boys · 213 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 61 babies
- 2025
- 57
- #2,558 for boys · #16,473 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 52 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,558 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 984 as a first name in 2020; 32,906 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mercer’s family of names
Mercer has a related form in Merce. Mercer has a related form in Mercar. Mercer has a related form in Mercir.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mercer
- Mercer EllingtonAmerican musician (1919–1996)
- Mercer MayerAmerican children's illustrator and writerborn 1943
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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