Metz
A French name meaning "city" or "settled place".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Metz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Metz today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Metz births was 1922 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Metz. 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 Metz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1922
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1922 SSA rank
#4,742
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Metz: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Metz 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 Metz 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 Metz
The name Metz originates from the German language and dates back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old High German word "mez," which means "border" or "boundary." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals living in border regions or near territorial boundaries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Metz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 9th century. The name appears in reference to a landowner named Metz who owned property near the city of Metz, located in the Lorraine region of present-day France.
In the 11th century, a nobleman named Metz von Baumburg is mentioned in the Annales Quedlinburgenses, a medieval chronicle written by the monks of Quedlinburg Abbey in Saxony. This historical record suggests that the name Metz was in use among the nobility during this period.
During the Renaissance, a notable figure bearing the name Metz was Metz Reinhard, a German humanist scholar and poet born in 1492. He was known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his works in Latin and German.
In the 17th century, Metz Hieronymus, a German astronomer born in 1653, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the study of comets. His observations and calculations helped advance the understanding of planetary motion and the trajectories of comets.
Another historical figure with the name Metz was Metz von Schönau, a 12th-century mystic and visionary from the Benedictine abbey of Schönau in Germany. She is known for her prophetic visions and writings, which influenced religious thought during her time.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Metz, demonstrating its longstanding presence and usage across various periods and regions, predominantly in German-speaking areas of Europe.
People
Metz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Metz 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
Metz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Metz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Metz 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 Metz a common name?
We classify Metz 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 Metz most popular?
The single biggest year for Metz was 1922, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Metz 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 Metz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Metz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Metz 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 Metz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Metz 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 Metz 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 Americans are named Metz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.