Merle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The surname Merle is a name whose history dates back to the Middle Ages. It was a Norman name for a someone who bore a fancied resemblance to a blackbird having derived from the Old French word merle, meaning blackbird.

Early Origins of the Merle family

The surname Merle was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this ancient family was established in early times.

The family was admitted to the honors of the Court in 1776, and again in 1789. Pierre-Hughes-Victor Merle was a general, who entered into the nobility in 1809; Jean-François Merlet was a counsel of the Conseil d'État, who entered into the nobility in 1810, and Jean-Joseph Merle was a colonel, who received his title to nobility in 1811.

Guy du Merle was an officer of the Legion of Honour and a lieutenant-commander, and he married Marcelle de Prat in 1907. Jean du Merle was a Contractual Engineer of water and forests, and Marguerite du Merle, a nun, was the secretary of the Mother Superior of Sacré Coeur in Rome.

Early History of the Merle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merle research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1302, 1306, 1509, 1560, 1562, 1575, 1731, 1798, 1810 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Merle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merle Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Merle, some of which include Marleau, Marleaux, Marlaud, Marlault, Marlet, Marlette, Marlod, Marlot, Marlotte, Marle, Merle, Merleau, Merleaux, Merlaud, Merlault, Merlet, Merlette, Merlod, Merlot, Merlotte, du Merle, Marlout, Marloux, Merlout and many more.

Early Notables of the Merle family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Louis du Merle (1798-1845)

Merle World Ranking

In the United States, the name Merle is the 18,087^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Merle is ranked the 322^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,540 people with that name. 2

Merle migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Merle has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Merle were

Merle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Merle, who settled in Virginia in 1636

Merle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Merle, aged 36, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 3

Merle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Merle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 3
Claude Merle, who settled in New Orleans in 1821
Louis Edmund Merle, who arrived in New York in 1823
Jean, aged 32, Anne, aged 31, Jean, aged 9, Mary, aged 7, and Joseph Merle, aged 4, who, who settled in America in 1843
Lewis Merle, who settled in Philadelphia in 1852
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Merle (post 1700) +

Roger Merle, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey 2nd District, 2002 4
Lynn Merle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1980 4
Pierre Nicolas Merle -Beaulieu, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
Robert Merle, French writer
Zofia Merle (1938-2023), Polish character actress who made over 75 appearances in film and television, known for her starring role in the 1978 comedy film What Will You Do When You Catch Me?
Robert Merle, Professor of English
Robert Merle, recipient of the Cross of the Combatant (1945), and a professor, Dordogne
David Merle Dalby (1950-2002), American football center
Doctor Joan Merle WoodBerry AM (d. 2010), Australian author and teacher

Citations +

"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
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 29) Pierre Merle. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html