Merriam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The ancestors of the Merriam family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Norfolk. Their name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Meret, Normandy.

Early Origins of the Merriam family

The surname Merriam was first found in Norfolk. However, some of the family were found at Stow-Maries in Essex. "This parish takes the adjunct to its name from the family of Marey, to whom the lands at one time belonged." 1

Early History of the Merriam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merriam research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1660 and 1682 are included under the topic Early Merriam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merriam Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Merriam were recorded, including Merry, Mirrey, Merrie, Mirrie and others.

Early Notables of the Merriam family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Merriam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merriam Ranking

In the United States, the name Merriam is the 10,044^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Merriam family to Ireland

Some of the Merriam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merriam migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Merriam arrived in North America very early:

Merriam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Nathaniel Merriam, from London, who arrived in Boston, Mass in 1631 aboard the ship "Plough of Woolwich" 3
Joseph Merriam, who landed in Massachusetts in 1638 4
William Merriam, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Merriam (post 1700) +

William W. Merriam, American politician, U.S. Consul in Gaspé, 1856-61 5
William R. Merriam (b. 1894), American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Rock County 1st District; Elected 1956, 1958 5
William Rush Merriam (1849-1931), American Republican politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1883, 1887; Speaker of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1887; Governor of Minnesota, 1889-93 5
Seward L. Merriam, American politician, Mayor of Port Huron, Michigan, 1893 5
Robert E. Merriam, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, 1955 5
Nathaniel Merriam (1769-1847), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Lewis County, 1810-11, 1819-20 5
Nathan Merriam (b. 1849), American politician, Representative from Nebraska 2nd District, 1914 5
Joseph W. Merriam, American politician, U.S. Consul in Iquique, 1877-98 5
Jonathan Merriam, American politician, Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention 37th District, 1869-70; U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 8th Illinois District, 1879 5
John Lafayette Merriam (1825-1895), American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 1st District, 1870-71; Speaker of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1870-71 5
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html