Merry
A cheerful surname that usually began as a nickname for someone pleasant, lively, or gay in the older sense of the word.
The #8,844 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,355 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most evidence points to a nickname from Middle English merie, meaning cheerful, pleasant, or lively, ultimately from Old English myrige. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a French or Latin personal-name source, especially Merdericus or Merry/Merri, but this is less certain. The surname may therefore have arisen in more than one way: chiefly as a descriptive nickname, and in some cases possibly from a continental given name or saint's name.
History
The name appears in English records as a descriptive byname alongside other character surnames such as Gay, Jolly, and Bland. Lower considered a personal-name origin possible and noted a Saint Merry and a French place called Merri, which may have influenced some families. In modern usage, Merry is established in the English-speaking world, though it remains relatively uncommon in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Merry with surnames that began as compliments or social descriptions, not occupations or places.
From the historical record
“MlRmTTJf- "««•"•-*(*' q.v. MERRY (Eng.) Gay, Blithe, Pleasant [M.E. merie, mine, &c., O.E. myrige] (A.-Fr.-Teut.) the French Mer(r)y, L.Lat. Medericus, O.Teut. Medric [v. under Med win, and + O.Teut. -n'c (mod. -rich), ruler]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)