2000
#15,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Merten
A Germanic surname derived from the name Martin, meaning either "warlike" or originating near the River Marne.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,191 Americans carry the last name Merten. That puts it at #14,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merten 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
2.2K
1 in 156,437
Census rank
#14,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,911 bearers of the surname Merten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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the earliest recorded instances of the Merten surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merten
Among Census respondents with the surname Merten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Merten 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 Merten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,782
- Two or more races3.2% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merten
Merten 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
#16,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,769
-21 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,185 places
2020
#14,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
+142 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,117 | 1,790 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,302 | 1,769 | 0.60 | -21 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,185 places |
| 2020 | #14,878 | 1,911 | 0.64 | +142 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 1,424 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 Merten 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 | #16,302 | #14,878 | 8.7% |
| Count | 1,769 | 1,911 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.64 | 6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merten bearers went from 1,769 to 1,911 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 1,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,302 to #14,878.
FAQ
Merten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merten?
Name Census estimates that about 2,191 living Americans carry the surname Merten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,437 residents.
How common is Merten?
Merten ranks #14,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,911 people with the surname Merten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Merten.
Has Merten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merten went from 1,769 recorded bearers to 1,911. That is an increase of 142 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,302 to #14,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Merten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Merten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Merten (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 Merten mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the name Martin, meaning either "warlike" or originating near the River Marne. 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 Merten (0.64 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 Merten?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Merten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.