


Variants Mercer, Mercier. An occupational name meaning 'the mercer', from a person who made his living dealing in Clothes. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in the above country. Examples of such are a Jordan de Mercer, County Lincolnshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and an Adelard le Mercer, County Oxfordshire, was also recorded in the same year in this ancient document. Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. Other examples of this name were found in the person of a Johannes Mercer, who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax', of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in the year 1379 and a Sucess Mercer was baptised in Saint Michael, Cornhill, in the year 1694.