2000
#49,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Merta
A surname potentially derived from the Latin word "meritus," meaning reward or merit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 490 Americans carry the last name Merta. That puts it at #52,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 699,499 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merta 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
490
1 in 699,499
Census rank
#52,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
427
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 427 bearers of the surname Merta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merta
The surname MERTA is of German origin, traced back to the late 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "mert" or "merten," which means "famous" or "renowned." This suggests that the name may have been originally bestowed upon someone of notable reputation or accomplishment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MERTA can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1492, where a certain Hans Merta is mentioned as a merchant and landowner. In the 16th century, the MERTA surname appeared in various legal documents and land registries across southern Germany, indicating the family's prominence in the area.
The name MERTA has its roots in the medieval German tradition of adopting surnames based on personal characteristics, occupations, or geographical locations. It is possible that the name was initially derived from a place name containing the root "mert," although no definitive evidence has been found to support this theory.
Among the notable individuals bearing the MERTA surname throughout history, Johann Merta (1624-1677) was a renowned Baroque painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his religious and allegorical works. His paintings can be found in several churches and museums across Germany.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Merta (1807-1856), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of alpine flora. He was the author of several influential works on the plant life of the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains.
In the 19th century, Carl Merta (1824-1899) was a successful entrepreneur and industrialist from Saxony. He founded the Merta & Co. textile manufacturing company, which became one of the largest employers in the region during the Industrial Revolution.
More recently, Günter Merta (1936-2012) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1976 to 2002, representing the constituency of Offenbach.
Lastly, Renate Merta (born 1952) is a renowned German opera singer and mezzo-soprano. She has performed in leading roles at prestigious opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merta
Among Census respondents with the surname Merta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Merta 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 Merta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 391
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 19
- Two or more races2.1% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merta
Merta 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
#52,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
-4 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,010 places
2020
#52,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 427
+29 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,159 | 402 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,169 | 398 | 0.13 | -4 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 3,010 places |
| 2020 | #52,477 | 427 | 0.14 | +29 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 308 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 Merta 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 | #52,169 | #52,477 | -0.6% |
| Count | 398 | 427 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merta bearers went from 398 to 427 (+7.3% change). The surname moved down 308 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,169 to #52,477.
FAQ
Merta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merta?
Name Census estimates that about 490 living Americans carry the surname Merta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 699,499 residents.
How common is Merta?
Merta ranks #52,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 427 people with the surname Merta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Merta.
Has Merta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merta went from 398 recorded bearers to 427. That is an increase of 29 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,169 to #52,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Merta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Merta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Merta (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 Merta mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Latin word "meritus," meaning reward or merit. 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 Merta (0.14 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 have the last name Merta?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Merta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.