Here's a breakdown:
* Noah Webster (1758-1843) was a lexicographer and educator who is considered the founding father of the dictionary. He published the first edition of his "American Dictionary of the English Language" in 1828, aiming to establish a distinctly American standard of English.
* Merriam-Webster as a company was founded in 1831 by George and Charles Merriam, who purchased the rights to Webster's dictionary and continued to publish and revise it.
* Merriam-Webster has been publishing and updating Webster's dictionary ever since, creating the well-known resource we use today.
So, while Noah Webster is the individual most closely associated with the origins of the dictionary, Merriam-Webster is the company that has maintained and evolved the dictionary over generations.