Mercado

The origin of the surname Mercado

Mercado means “market,” for a trader or market dweller.

What kind of surname is Mercado?

As an occupational surname, the surname Mercado began as a description of the bearer's job, trade or office — one of the oldest and richest sources of family names. In the medieval world, a person was naturally identified by what they did, so the baker, the smith, the miller and the weaver each lent their trade to a name that later became hereditary. These surnames are wonderfully transparent windows onto everyday life in earlier centuries, preserving crafts and roles that in many cases no longer exist. Because certain trades were common everywhere, occupational surnames are among the most widespread family names in many countries.

How Filipino surnames work

Filipino surnames are predominantly Spanish, but not because most families are of Spanish descent: in 1849 a colonial decree (the Catálogo alfabético de apellidos) assigned Spanish surnames to Filipino families to systematise records. Alongside these are indigenous names, Chinese-derived surnames and names of other origins, making the Filipino surname landscape a layered record of the islands' history.