Merlo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Merlo is a habitational place-name, which is a type of hereditary surname, and is derived from the name of the place in which the first bearer lived. Merlo is derived from is Morlaix, in Brittany, a peninsula in the northwest of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coast and is broken by hills in the west.

Early Origins of the Merlo family

The surname Merlo was first found in Buckinghamshire at Marlow, a town and civil parish within Wycombe district. The earliest record of the place was listed as Merelafan in 1015, but was listed a few years later as Merlaue in the Domesday Book 1. Literally, the name means 'land remaining after the draining of a pool' having been derived from the Old English words mere + laf 2 However, another reference claims the ancient name of this place was Merlaw, supposed to be derived from the Saxon word Mere, meaning a marsh, and Law or Low, meaning a hill. Marlow, historically called Great Marlow, first sent representatives to parliament in the 28th of Edward I., and continued so to do till the 2nd of Edward II. Little Marlow is a parish in the borough of Marlow about 1 1/2 miles from Marlow and as the name would imply has historically been much smaller.

Early History of the Merlo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merlo research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1132, 1409, 1564, 1733 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Merlo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merlo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Marlowe, Marloe, Marleau, Marlow and others.

Early Notables of the Merlo family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Merlo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merlo Ranking

In the United States, the name Merlo is the 14,541^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Merlo is ranked the 5,446^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Merlo family to Ireland

Some of the Merlo family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merlo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Merlo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Bautista Merlo, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1840 5
Francisco De Merlo, who landed in New Granada in 1855 5
Pio Merlo, who landed in Arkansas in 1890 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Merlo (post 1700) +

James Louis Merlo (b. 1951), American football linebacker who played for the New Orleans Saints (1973-1979)
Michele "Mike" Merlo (1880-1924), Sicilian-born, American political figure and "fixer" associated in his later years with the Torrio-Capone organization
Antonio Merlo (b. 1963), Italian-born American economist and academic, Dean of the Rice University School of Social Sciences
Larry Merlo (b. 1956), American President and CEO of CVS Health
John Merlo, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1960, 1964 6
Michele Merlo (1993-2021), Italian singer-songwriter
Reinaldo Carlos Merlo (b. 1950), Argentine football coach and former player, who played as a midfielder
Madeline Merlo (b. 1994), Canadian country music singer-songwriter
Sebastián Gastón Merlo (b. 1985), Argentine-Vietnamese footballer
Luis María Larrañaga Merlo (b. 1966), known as Luis Merlo, a Spanish actor

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html