Merrick/Meyrick
This is one of the Irish lines, which is why it currently doesn’t go back far. The image is of a rather beautiful Irish Tree of Life by the Welsh artist Jen Delyth.
At some point in the early twentieth century the spelling of this particular branch of the family surname was also changed from Merrick to Meyrick. I have no idea why.
This is a very respectable family, though the wife of Ferdinand, actually enjoyed notoriety in the 20s and 30s as a London nightclub owner. But she is not a true Merrick. The two Merricks in the direct line we know about are a solicitor and a doctor - so very respectable middle class, with at least Ferdinand being a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. They are the Irish gentry almost, not the Irish poor. It’s another line about which not much is known. However, I have great hopes of finding out more as more is coming to light through contact with other Merrick descendants.
Merrick/Meyrick
meaning and origins
There are two or three possible origins. The first is named after an early Welsh prince called Meyric. Meyric itself may be from the Norman Maurice which is made up of the Germanic meri or mari meaning fame and ric meaning power. Then there is a Scottish place called Merrick which is derived from the gaelic meurach meaning a fork of the road or river. I think I like this last one best.
variations
Merrick, Meyrick, Merricks, Meyric, Morris, Maurice
distribution in England and Wales
In 1891 the Merrick’s were most prevalent in Lancashire, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire and London, with the Meyricks in Glamorgan, with slightly fewer in Shropshire and London.
Today Merrick is fairly localised to
West Yorkshire and Monmouthshire, with Meyrick, very specifically in Glamorgan. So they’ve moved around a fair bit - as did our own Merricks/Meyricks.
Cork, Dublin, Southsea, Basingstoke and London