Merton is a surname of English origin. Notable people with the surname include:
Don Merton (1939–2011), New Zealand conservationist
Ernst Merton (1848-1920), American politician and lawyer
Paul Merton (born 1957), British actor and comedian
Robert C. Merton (born 1944), American Nobel Prize–winning economist
Robert K. Merton (1910–2003), American sociologist, father of Robert C. Merton
Thomas Merton (1915–1968), American Cistercian monk, social activist and author
Sir Thomas Ralph Merton KBE FRS (1888–1969), British physicist and art collector
Walter de Merton (ca. 1205–1277), Bishop of Rochester, England and founder of Merton College
William Merton (1917–2014), British scientist and banker
William Ralph Merton (1848–1916), German entrepreneur, founder of the University of Frankfurt and Metallgesellschaft AG
Fictional characters:
Mrs Merton, character of comedian Caroline Aherne for The Mrs Merton Show
