Show ContentsMerit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Merit family

The surname Merit was first found in Durham where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held lands.

Early History of the Merit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merit research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Merit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merit Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Morritt, Moritt, Morit, Morret, Morrett and others.

Early Notables of the Merit family

More information is included under the topic Early Merit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Merit migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Merit Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James E Merit, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1864 1

Canada Merit migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Merit Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Antoine Merit, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 1st April 1665 2
Merit Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Lieut. Thomas Merit U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Merit (post 1700) +

  • Merit Brooks, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County, 1835, 1845 4


  1. 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)
  2. Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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