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

Merten, 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 Merten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merten in America

Merten is the 16302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merten surname appeared 1,769 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 Merten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merten 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 Merten

The surname Merten originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Merto, which itself comes from the Old German word "meri" meaning "famous" or "renowned." The name was initially popularized as a personal name, and later adopted as a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Merten surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various forms, such as Mertene, Merthen, and Merten, indicating its evolution over time.

In the 14th century, the Merten surname was associated with the town of Merten, located in the Eifel region of Germany. This town's name is believed to have been derived from the same Old German root as the surname, further solidifying the connection between the name and the area.

Notable individuals bearing the Merten surname include Theodor Merten (1775-1855), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Göttingen. Another prominent figure was Johann Georg Merten (1752-1834), a German politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Frankfurt.

In the realm of literature, the German author and playwright Friedrich Merten (1807-1876) is remembered for his contributions to the Romantic movement. His works, such as the play "Der Schmied von Gretna-Green," were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.

Moving into the 20th century, Karl Merten (1892-1971) was a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the successful electrical engineering company Merten GmbH, which is still in operation today.

Another notable figure was Hans Merten (1924-2015), a German footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various clubs, including FC St. Pauli and Hamburger SV, in the 1940s and 1950s.

While these are just a few examples, the Merten surname has a long and rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the German regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, dating back to the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merten

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Merten, 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!