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

Mertens, 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 Mertens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mertens in America

Mertens is the 7597th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mertens surname appeared 4,375 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 Mertens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mertens 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 Mertens

The surname Mertens is of Dutch and Flemish origin, derived from the personal name Merten, which is a variant of the name Martin. The name Martin itself is derived from the Latin name Martinus, which is believed to have originated from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mertens can be traced back to the 13th century in the Low Countries, which encompassed parts of modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and northern France. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Flanders and Brabant, where it was often associated with families of wealthy merchants and landowners.

In the 14th century, the surname Mertens appeared in several historical records, including the Guelders Land Registry of 1379, which listed a Mertens van Arnhem as a landowner in the city of Arnhem. Additionally, the name was mentioned in the Bruges Town Archives from the same century, suggesting its prominence in the thriving trade center of Bruges.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Mertens was Gerrit Mertens, a Dutch trader and explorer who was born in Rotterdam in 1590. He is credited with establishing trading outposts in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and contributing to the expansion of Dutch colonial interests in the region.

Another notable figure with the surname Mertens was Jan Mertens, a Flemish painter who lived from 1655 to 1726. He was known for his portraits and religious works, many of which adorned churches and monasteries in Flanders and Brabant during the 17th century.

In the 19th century, the surname Mertens gained prominence in the field of science with the Belgian botanist Charles Mertens (1796-1858), who made significant contributions to the study of mosses and liverworts. He was recognized for his extensive botanical collections and publications, including the influential work "Species Musci Frondosi" (1822-1827).

Another influential figure with the surname Mertens was the Dutch composer and organist Joost Mertens (1799-1863), who is credited with reviving the popularity of the organ in the Netherlands during the Romantic era. He composed numerous works for the organ, including his famous "Grand Organ Concerto."

The surname Mertens has also been associated with notable figures in the field of sports, such as the Belgian cyclist Eddy Mertens (1924-2008), who won numerous prestigious races, including the Amstel Gold Race and the Tour of Flanders, during his career in the 1940s and 1950s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mertens

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

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

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

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