Origin of Merciers

When tracing the origin of the name Mercier, we find that one of the seven kingdoms of England was called Mercia and existed along with Kent, Essex, Sussex, Northumbria and East Anglia.

The Kingdom of Mercia occupied the territory bounded by Wales and the Thames and Humber Rivers. The name of 'Mierce' identified the population of Mercia living along the border with Wales. Before the third century BC, Celtic tribes moved towards Europe. They conquered territories along the Adriatic seaboard, including countries known as Greece and Italy, and they subsequently invaded Spain and France. Certain tribes crossed the English Channel and settled in the British Isles. Julius Caesar conquered the British Isles and ruled over that area as in the rest of the Roman Empire. Certain barbaric customs were tolerated, altough the army had to intervene on various occasions in order to quell rebellions and silence former rulers. According to historical sources, the Kingdom of Mercia was established in the middle of the VI th Century by tribes of East Anglia. During the VII th Century, there were some 12,000 families living in the kingdom.

The first Mercian king was Icel. The kingdom became important under the reign of Penda who ruled from 626 to 655, according to official records. It is intersting to note that the name of 'penny' as a monetary unit derived its name from 'pending', which was named after King Penda, then ruling in Mercia.

The most famous and influential Mercian king was Offa, who ruled from 757 to 796. He made a major contribution towards uniting English kingdoms, especially in the Southern portion of England.

After his death, the kingdom was attacked and suffered heavy losses as a result of invasions by the Danes and wars with neighboring kingdoms.

In 829, the Kingdom of Mercia was conquered by Wessex. Seven years later, it became independent again, but never regained its former power and influence. It was ultimately integrated into Wessex in 918.

The Mercian kings were converted to christianity and often fought to defend their land. After their defeat by the Vikings and ultimately the French, members of the Mercian court were given semi-royal positions as princes, earls and counts and occupied diplomatic posts. They were instrumental in bringing England and France together during the X th and XI th Centuries.

Why go so far back in history?

In the opinion of Mr. Ernest Mercier, Genealogist, Researcher and author, the origin of the name Mercier comes from the population of Mercia. The opinion is expressed in his book 'Mercier depuis des Siècles' published in 1987.

When William the Conqueror ordered citizens to have surnames, it is believed that descendents from Mercian kings and other officials with diplomatic positions took the surname of Mercier. Other subjects of the Mercian Kingdom must have used the same surname.

Over the centuries. the Kingdom of Marcia dispappeared and borders were abolished between England and Normandy, and the population migrated South: in Normandy, the rest of France, Switzerland and Germany.

Some historian authors are of the opinion that the name Mercier comes from the occupation of merchants and dealers in silk and other fabrics, as well as spices and other goods, and who were generally involved in commercial operations.

These opinions are interesting, especially when we think of surnames derived from occupations, such as: baker, carpenter, etc.

However, it is in England and in Scotland that the oldest documents recorded the names of persons bearing the name Mercier, LeMercier, Mercer and LeMercer.

The name of Mercier appears in France at least one century later.