Mercier
A French surname meaning “merchant” or “dealer,” originally an occupational name for a trader in small goods.
The #4,361 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,888 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mercier comes from Old French mercier, meaning a merchant or shopkeeper, especially one who dealt in small wares. The word is ultimately linked to Latin merx, “merchandise,” through the medieval French vocabulary of trade. In surname use, it would originally have identified someone by occupation rather than family descent.
History
The name is well established in medieval France and appears in Norman records and later French and English sources. It also spread into French-speaking parts of North America and other regions through migration. Related forms such as Lemercier preserve the same occupational sense.
Origin
Regions
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Fun fact
The surname Mercier is closely related in meaning to the English surname Mercer, which developed independently in Middle English from the same trade word.
From the historical record
“Vit. Dur. Merser. Fr. Mercier. Hugt. n., Lond. 1618; Mercere, 1327 Merwyn. D.B. Maruen, Maruuen, Merefin, Meruen. Meruin ; Saxon tenant. Mereuuin ; tenant in chief. Mereuin ; under-tenant.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)