Merle Family History

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Merle Name Meaning

German and French: nickname, possibly for a good or habitual singer or whistler, from Middle High German, Old French merle ‘blackbird’ (Latin merula). See Merlo. German: from a pet form of a short form of a personal name formed with German mar, mer ‘famous’ as the first element.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Mehle, Mele, Meile, Merlo, Merry, Erle, Werle, Melle, Ergle, Merl

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Merle Family Origin

Where is the Merle family from?

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You can see how Merle families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Merle family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Merle families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 2 Merle families living in Ontario. This was about 67% of all the recorded Merle's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Merle families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Merle surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Merle

Merle Family Occupations

What did your Merle ancestors do for a living?

In 1880, a less common occupation for the Merle family was Baker. Farmer, Keeping House and Clerk In Store were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Merle. The most common Merle occupation in the USA was Farmer. 19% of Merle's were Farmers.

View Census data for Merle | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    19%

  • Keeping House

    11%

  • Clerk In Store

    7%

  • Baker

    4%

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Merle ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Merle Historical Records

What Merle family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Merle. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Merle census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Merle

Passenger List

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Merle. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Merle immigration records

Draft Card

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Merle. For the veterans among your Merle ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Merle military records

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Merle Life Expectancy

What is the average Merle lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Merle life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1962, and highest in 1981. The average life expectancy for Merle in 1962 was 63, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Merle

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Merle ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Merle Family Ancestors

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