Show ContentsMerrow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Merrow

What does the name Merrow mean?

The ancestors of the Celtic name Merrow came from the rugged landscape of Wales. This old, proud name derives from the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of Maurice. The surname Merrow is ultimately derived from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark." 1 In Britain, Maurice was the learned form of the name, while Morice was the common form.

Early Origins of the Merrow family

The surname Merrow was first found in Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn), a Welsh-speaking island, and present day County of Isle of Anglesey, located at the northwestern extremity of Wales. The family was traditionally understood to be descended from Mrien, Lord of Rheged, through Cadaval Ynad, a Judge of Powys, who lived about 1190.

The senior branch of the line settled in Anglesey where Samuel Cadaval was Lord of Cydywain. His son, Tudor ap Madoc, married the daughter of the Prince of North Wales. Einiawn Ap David, his successor was Usher at the Palace of Sheen.

Early History of the Merrow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merrow research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1485, 1505, 1538, 1556, 1558, 1563, 1566, 1576, 1582, 1588, 1599, 1601, 1610, 1636, 1640, 1660, 1666, 1674, 1712, 1713 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Merrow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merrow Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Merrow has occasionally been spelled Merrick, Merick, Meyrick, Meynik and others.

Early Notables of the Merrow family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Llewelyn ap Meyrick who fought at the Bbattle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485 for Henry Tudor; and his son, Meurig ap Llewelyn, who became captain of the bodyguard for Henry VIII, he was granted the Crown Lease of Aberffraw manor; Rowland Meyrick (1505-1566), born at Bodargan in the parish of Llangadwaladr, Anglesey, a Welsh bishop of Bangor; John Meyrick (or Merick, Mericke, or Merrick), M.A. (1538-1599), an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of England...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Merrow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merrow Ranking

In the United States, the name Merrow is the 16,823rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Merrow family to Ireland

Some of the Merrow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Merrow family

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Merrow: Henry Merrick, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Francis Merrick, who settled in Virginia in 1654; John Merrick, who arrived in Barbados in 1680 with his servants.


Contemporary Notables of the name Merrow (post 1700) +

  • Joseph M. Merrow, American founder of the Merrow Sewing Machine Company in 1838 in Fall River, Massachusetts
  • John William Merrow (1874-1927), American New York City theater architect
  • John Merrow (b. 1941), American broadcast journalist, education correspondent for the PBS NewsHour program "The Merrow Report"
  • Jeffrey Colin Merrow (b. 1953), American defensive lineman who played nine seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, member of their famed Grits Blitz defense
  • Lyford A. Merrow, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1912
  • Joseph B. Merrow, American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 21st District, 1873
  • J. Merrow, American politician, Honorary Consul for Guatemala at Galveston, Texas, 1903
  • Chester Earl Merrow (1906-1974), American politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Ossipee, 1939-40; U.S. Representative from New Hampshire 1st District, 1943-63
  • Jane Merrow (b. 1941), stage name of Jane Josephine Meirowsky, a British actress, known for her work on The Saint (1962), The Prisoner (1967), Secret Agent (1964) and The Avengers (1961), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972), The Horror at 37, 000 Feet (1973), Once an Eagle (1976) and The Patricia Neal Story (1981)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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