2000
#7,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Mertens
A Dutch and German surname derived from the given name Martin, which means "of Mars" or "warlike."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,687 Americans carry the last name Mertens. That puts it at #7,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,129 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mertens 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mertens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,129
Census rank
#7,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,087 bearers of the surname Mertens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mertens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mertens
Among Census respondents with the surname Mertens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mertens 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 Mertens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,788
- Two or more races3.8% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mertens
Mertens 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
#7,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,375
+358 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 32 places
2020
#7,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,087
-288 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,629 | 4,017 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,597 | 4,375 | 1.48 | +358 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 32 places |
| 2020 | #7,791 | 4,087 | 1.37 | -288 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 194 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 Mertens 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 | #7,597 | #7,791 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,375 | 4,087 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.37 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mertens bearers went from 4,375 to 4,087 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,597 to #7,791.
FAQ
Mertens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mertens?
Name Census estimates that about 4,687 living Americans carry the surname Mertens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,129 residents.
How common is Mertens?
Mertens ranks #7,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,087 people with the surname Mertens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,687), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Mertens.
Has Mertens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mertens went from 4,375 recorded bearers to 4,087. That is a decrease of 288 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,597 to #7,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Mertens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mertens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) 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 Mertens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,788 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mertens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), 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 Mertens (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 Mertens mean?
A Dutch and German surname derived from the given name Martin, which means "of Mars" or "warlike." 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 Mertens (1.37 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 surname Mertens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.