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

Mentzer, 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 Mentzer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mentzer in America

Mentzer is the 9531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mentzer surname appeared 3,410 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mentzer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mentzer 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 Mentzer

The surname Mentzer has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Mentzer" or "Mentzger," which referred to a butcher or meat dealer. This occupation-based surname was common in many German-speaking regions during that time period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mentzer can be found in the town of Heidelberg, where a family of butchers bearing this surname resided in the late 1500s. The Mentzer name also appeared in various church records and municipal documents throughout the Rhineland area in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the early 1700s, a prominent figure named Johann Mentzer (1677-1743) rose to prominence as a respected Lutheran theologian and scholar in the city of Giessen. His published works on theology and philosophy were widely studied across German universities during his lifetime.

As the Mentzer family continued to grow and spread across Germany, some members eventually migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the late 18th century, a man named Wilhelm Mentzer (1768-1831) left his homeland and settled in the Russian Empire, where he established a successful business as a merchant and landowner.

One of the most notable figures with the Mentzer surname was the American artist and illustrator Frank Mentzer (1939-2018). Born in California, he gained recognition for his work with the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, contributing artwork and serving as a lead designer for several editions.

Another individual of note was the German-American businessman and industrialist Carl Mentzer (1865-1942), who founded the Mentzer Wire Company in Ohio and played a significant role in the development of the wire manufacturing industry in the United States.

Despite its German origins, the Mentzer surname has since spread across various parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond. However, the rich history and legacy of this surname can be traced back to its humble beginnings in the butcher's trade of 16th-century Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mentzer

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

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 Mentzer 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 Mentzer 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 Mentzer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!