Merchant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Merchant was an occupational name for a merchant having derived from the Old French, Middle English word "marchant," which in turn came from the Late Latin "mercatans." 1 2
Early Origins of the Merchant family
The surname Merchant was first found in Berkshire, England where Roger Marcand (Marchand) was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1202. A few years later, Roger Marchaunt and Herueus Merchant were recorded in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. In Essex, Ranulph le Marchand was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1240, while in Cambridgeshire, Reginald le Marchant was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1247. In Somerset, Thomas le Markaund was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1274. 3
"Radulph Mercator held land in Dunfermline [Scotland] a. 1214, and a later Radulph Mercator was a charter witness in Dundee in 1281. Thomas called Marchand was a canon of Brechin in 1298. Morice Merchande was barber of the burgh of Dumbarton in 1456, and in 1495 there is mention of the tenement of Elizabeth Merchand there." 4
Early History of the Merchant family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merchant research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1298, 1563, 1600, 1650, 1676, 1697, 1739, 1766, 1773, 1781, 1785, 1789, 1791, 1809, 1811 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Merchant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Merchant Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Merchant, Merchand, Marchand, Mercator and others.
Early Notables of the Merchant family
Notable among the family at this time was
- Nathaniel Marchant (1739-1816), gem-engraver and medallist, was born in Sussex in 1739. He became a pupil of Edward Burch, R. A., and in 1766 was a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists. He we...
Merchant Ranking
In the United States, the name Merchant is the 2,147th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 5
Merchant migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Merchant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jeffrey Merchant, who settled in Virginia in 1637
- Jeffry Merchant, who arrived in Virginia in 1637
- Jeffery Merchant, who landed in Virginia in 1637 6
- John Merchant, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1638 6
- William Merchant, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1641 6
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Merchant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Richard Merchant, who landed in Virginia in 1706 6
- Maria Katherina Merchant, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 6
Merchant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Henry Merchant, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 6
- Francis Hyatt Merchant, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 6
Merchant migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Merchant Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Jesse Merchant U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Merchant migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Merchant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Merchant, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 8
- Mr. John Merchant, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- James Merchant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Samuel Boddington" in 1851 10
Merchant migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Merchant Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Elijah Merchant, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
- Martha Merchant, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
- Frederick Merchant, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
Merchant migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
11Merchant Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- George and Emmanuel Merchant, who settled in Barbados in 1685
Contemporary Notables of the name Merchant (post 1700) +
- Livingston Tallmadge Merchant (1903-1976), American diplomat, who twice served as United States Ambassador to Canada
- Natalie Merchant (b. 1963), American singer and songwriter
- Ray Merchant, American Republican politician, Candidate for Oklahoma State House of Representatives 65th District, 2002 12
- Pamela K. Merchant, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for South Dakota State Senate 7th District, 2010 12
- Monisha M. Merchant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2008 12
- Mona H. Merchant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2008 12
- Milton F. Merchant, American politician, Representative from New York 26th District, 1882 12
- Livingston Tallmadge Merchant (1903-1976), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, 1956-58, 1961-62 12
- Joseph W. Merchant, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1868; Member of New York State Assembly from Madison County 1st District, 1870 12
- Harriet Merchant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996 12
- ... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Merchant +
- Preliminary Record of Gurdon Merchant and his Wife Hannah Van Duzer by Mary Gene McCall Middleton.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- 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
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SAMUEL BODDINGTON 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851SamuelBoddington.gif
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
