2000
#9,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,296
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Mentzer
Derived from the German surname Mentzer, an occupational name for a knife maker or cutler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,596 Americans carry the last name Mentzer. That puts it at #9,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,315 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mentzer 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
3.6K
1 in 95,315
Census rank
#9,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,136 bearers of the surname Mentzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mentzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mentzer 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 Mentzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,909
- Two or more races3.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mentzer
Mentzer 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
#9,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,410
+114 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#9,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,136
-274 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,113 | 3,296 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,531 | 3,410 | 1.16 | +114 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #9,837 | 3,136 | 1.05 | -274 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 306 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 Mentzer 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 | #9,531 | #9,837 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,410 | 3,136 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.05 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mentzer bearers went from 3,410 to 3,136 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 306 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,531 to #9,837.
FAQ
Mentzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mentzer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,596 living Americans carry the surname Mentzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,315 residents.
How common is Mentzer?
Mentzer ranks #9,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,136 people with the surname Mentzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mentzer.
Has Mentzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mentzer went from 3,410 recorded bearers to 3,136. That is a decrease of 274 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,531 to #9,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Mentzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mentzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,909 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mentzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mentzer (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 Mentzer mean?
Derived from the German surname Mentzer, an occupational name for a knife maker or cutler. 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 Mentzer (1.05 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 people are called Mentzer?
Find out how common the surname Mentzer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.