Mercedes
A Spanish devotional surname and given-name form ultimately tied to the Virgin Mary’s title Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, “Our Lady of Mercies.”
The #7,767 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 72,272 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mercedes comes from Spanish mercedes, meaning “mercies” or “favors,” from Latin merces, “reward,” “wages,” or more broadly “mercy/favor” in later usage. In Spanish Catholic tradition it is closely associated with the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, “Our Lady of Mercies.” As a surname, it is therefore usually understood as coming from a devotional name rather than from a trade or place-name.
History
The excerpts point to Mercedes as a devotional naming element in Spain and Spanish-speaking regions, especially in forms like Maria de Mercedes. Such religious names became especially common in the Spanish world, including the colonies, and some later passed into surname use. Because the historical sources here mention Mercedes mainly as a given-name element, surname use is likely secondary and comparatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Mercedes is better known today as a given name, but it also helped inspire the car name Mercedes, chosen in honor of a girl named Mercedes Jellinek.
From the historical record
“Theresa, Edwina, Medora, Clarissa, Jacintha, Lavina, Serena, Rozanna, Rosannah, Prestina, Alexa, Calista, Christina, Do- retta, Delina, Josepha, Sophia, Maria, Dolores, Mercedes, Mathilda, Viola, Amelia, Ramona. Clementine, Rosaline, Rosalie, Rosamond, Rosabelle, Cath- arine, Caroline, Albertine, Edwardine…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames