The origin of the name of the suburb is unclear. In 1873
Thomas Blacket Stephens purchased of land; his wife Ann named the property
Merrimac. In 1906, it was claimed to be named by the
American Indian word for
swift running waters. It has been suggested that it has been named after the
Merrimack River in the
New England region of the United States, or
USS Merrimac, a
Union navy frigate itself named for the river. The land was swampy but Stephens and later his son
William Stephens progressively drained the land and turned it into productive farming land, principally used for dairying, but also sheep, cattle and
sugarcane. which subdivided it into small farms known as the Stephens Estate. Merrimac State High School opened on 30 January 1979 (but is now within the suburb of
Mermaid Waters). All Saints Anglican School opened on 28 January 1987. Gold Coast Montessori College closed on 31 October 2008. Two schools merged forming
Queensland Independent College on 2 April 2009, closing on 16 June 2017. The Queensland Football School took over the site of the Queensland Independent College at 16A Ghilgai Road to commence operation at January 2020, but the school did not open. Star of the Sea School opened in 2022 at 16 Ghilgai Road. == Demographics ==