Mercer is an English and French occupational surname meaning "merchant" or dealer in fine cloth, from the Latin merx, goods. It was carried as a first name by Mercer Ellington, bandleader and son of Duke Ellington, and belongs to the current wave of surname names like Archer and Sawyer. In the United States Mercer ranked number 6186 in 2000, has hovered around number 3000 for a decade and reaches number 2558 in 2025, its best rank yet.