Mertin
A masculine name derived from the French words "mer" meaning sea and "tin" meaning lord.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Mertin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mertin today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mertin births was 1924 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mertin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mertin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#4,756
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Mertin: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mertin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mertin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mertin
The given name Mertin has its roots in the Germanic languages, specifically in the Old High German and Old Norse tongues. It is believed to have originated as a combination of the elements "meri" meaning "famous" or "renowned" and "vin" meaning "friend" or "protector." Thus, the name Mertin could be interpreted as "famous friend" or "renowned protector."
In the early medieval period, the name Mertin was predominantly found in regions that were influenced by Germanic cultures, such as parts of present-day Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. Variations of the name, like Mertwin, Mertwin, and Mertwin, were also common during this time.
While no direct references to the name Mertin have been found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used by common folk during the Middle Ages. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, primarily in Germanic regions.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Mertin was Mertin von Memmingen, a German knight and crusader who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable individual was Mertin Opitz (1597-1639), a German poet and philologist who is considered one of the founders of modern German literature.
In the 16th century, Mertin Frobisher (c. 1535-1594) was an English explorer and privateer who conducted several voyages in search of the Northwest Passage. He is credited with the discovery of what is now known as Frobisher Bay in the Canadian Arctic.
During the 17th century, Mertin Hegenitius (1614-1676) was a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of natural philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mertin Gerbert (1720-1793), a German Benedictine monk and scholar who played a significant role in the development of modern mathematics and physics. He is particularly renowned for his work on the calculus of variations and the theory of numbers.
While the name Mertin has its origins in Germanic languages, it has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history, reflecting the widespread influence of Germanic peoples and their linguistic traditions.
People
Mertin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mertin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mertin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mertin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mertin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Mertin a common name?
We classify Mertin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mertin most popular?
The single biggest year for Mertin was 1924, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mertin is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mertin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mertin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mertin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mertin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mertin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mertin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Mertin?
Find out how many Americans are named Mertin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.