2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mentgen
A variation of Mentchen, referring to someone living near a boundary or border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mentgen. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mentgen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mentgen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mentgen
The surname MENTGEN is of German origin, with records indicating it first appeared in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "menthiu," meaning "girl" or "maiden." It likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for a young, unmarried woman.
Early recorded variations of the spelling include "Mentgin," "Mendtgen," and "Menttgen." The name can be found in various medieval records and documents from southern Germany, such as local parish registers and tax rolls.
One of the earliest known mentions of the MENTGEN name is in a 1387 land deed from the town of Augsburg, where a "Hans Mentgin" is listed as a witness. Another early reference is in a 1412 court record from Nuremberg, which mentions a "Kunigunde Mentgin" as a plaintiff in a legal dispute.
In the 16th century, the MENTGEN surname appears to have spread beyond Bavaria, with records indicating bearers of the name in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions of Austria and Switzerland.
Notable individuals with the MENTGEN surname throughout history include:
1. Konrad Mentgen (1520-1587), a German theologian and author from Augsburg, who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology.
2. Anna Mentgen (1582-1647), a German midwife and herbalist from Nuremberg, who was renowned for her knowledge of traditional medicine and folk remedies.
3. Johannes Mentgen (1625-1701), a German painter and engraver from Munich, known for his religious artwork and portraits of nobility.
4. Wilhelm Mentgen (1787-1858), a German inventor and mechanical engineer from Berlin, who patented several early designs for steam engines and industrial machinery.
5. Margarete Mentgen (1891-1978), a German women's rights activist and journalist from Frankfurt, who campaigned for gender equality and women's suffrage in the early 20th century.
While the MENTGEN surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of southern Germany, with bearers of the name making notable contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mentgen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mentgen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mentgen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mentgen
Mentgen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-5 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,656 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 11,656 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,178 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mentgen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #130,610 | #142,788 | -9.3% |
| Count | 130 | 119 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mentgen bearers went from 130 to 119 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mentgen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mentgen?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mentgen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mentgen?
Mentgen ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Mentgen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mentgen.
Has Mentgen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mentgen went from 130 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mentgen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mentgen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mentgen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mentgen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mentgen mean?
A variation of Mentchen, referring to someone living near a boundary or border. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mentgen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Mentgen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.