Find out how popular the last name Mehrtens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mehrtens.

Mehrtens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mehrtens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mehrtens in America

Mehrtens is the 44270th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mehrtens surname appeared 486 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mehrtens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mehrtens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mehrtens

The surname Mehrtens is of German origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name Mehringen or Mehren, which are towns located in various regions of Germany, particularly in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.

The name Mehringen itself is believed to have its roots in the Old High German word "meri," meaning "famous" or "renowned," combined with the suffix "-ingen," indicating a place or settlement. This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have hailed from these towns or resided in areas associated with them.

While no specific historical references to individuals with the surname Mehrtens have been found in ancient manuscripts or records like the Domesday Book, the earliest documented instances of the name appear in various German church and civil records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mehrtens was Johann Mehrtens, a merchant from the city of Hanover, who was mentioned in a trade register dated 1572. Another notable figure was Christoph Mehrtens, a Lutheran clergyman and theologian from Saxony, who lived from 1618 to 1687.

In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Friedrich Mehrtens, a German philosopher and writer born in 1732 in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. He is known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.

During the 19th century, the Mehrtens surname gained further recognition with individuals like Wilhelm Mehrtens, a German composer and organist born in 1836 in the town of Bielefeld. His compositions for organ and church music were widely acclaimed in his time.

Another notable figure from this period was Karl Mehrtens, a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) in the late 19th century, representing the city of Düsseldorf.

Over the centuries, the Mehrtens surname has spread beyond Germany, with bearers of the name found in various parts of Europe and other regions of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the German towns of Mehringen and Mehren, reflecting the historical significance of locational surnames in Germanic cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mehrtens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mehrtens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mehrtens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mehrtens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mehrtens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mehrtens, please contact us.

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