1882, E. L. P, Elfie Under the Sea and Other Stories, Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. (1882), page 21:"I shall never see my merfather or my mermother any more, or the mermaids, or the fish-king, or the merry dolphins, or-r-r-r " —"Never mind!" cried Elfie, crying too, and she put her arms around the sad little mermaid's neck.
2004, Vicki Blum, The Mermaid Secret, Scholastic (2004), ISBN 0439969166, page 63:"Danya, you think if you believe in your merfather and Ayralon, it's like rejecting your parents. Especially your stepfather. Is that true?"
2006, Roger Ebert, "'Aquamarine'", Orange County Register, 3 March 2006:Two eighth-graders (Emma Roberts and JoJo) befriend a mermaid (Sara Paxton) who has three days to prove to her merfather that love exists.
