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

Mertes, 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 Mertes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mertes in America

Mertes is the 16593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mertes surname appeared 1,728 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 Mertes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mertes 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 Mertes

The surname Mertes is of German origin, with its earliest known roots traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was historically a province of Germany. The name is thought to have derived from the Old German word "merte," meaning "famous" or "renowned."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mertes surname can be found in the records of the town of Worms, located in Rhineland-Palatinate. These records, dating back to the late 16th century, mention a certain Johann Mertes, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.

In the 17th century, the Mertes name appeared in various church records and municipal documents across the Rhineland-Palatinate region, indicating its growing prevalence. One notable figure from this period was Hans Mertes (1620-1687), a respected Lutheran theologian and author who hailed from the town of Oppenheim.

As the centuries progressed, the Mertes surname spread beyond the borders of Germany, with families bearing this name migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the 18th century, a branch of the Mertes family settled in the region of Alsace, which was then part of France. This is evidenced by the birth records of a certain Jean-Pierre Mertes (1742-1812), who was born in the town of Strasbourg.

During the 19th century, the Mertes name gained further recognition with the rise of Karl Mertes (1819-1897), a renowned German-American artist and painter. Born in the town of Düsseldorf, Mertes emigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s and became known for his exquisite landscape paintings, many of which depicted scenes from his native Germany.

Another notable figure with the Mertes surname was Friederike Mertes (1856-1928), a German educator and women's rights activist. She was a pioneer in the field of early childhood education and played a crucial role in establishing kindergartens and educational institutions for young children in various cities across Germany.

As the 20th century dawned, the Mertes name continued to be represented in various fields, including literature and academia. One such example is Alois Mertes (1921-2008), a German author and academic who specialized in the study of medieval literature and philology. He published numerous scholarly works and taught at several universities throughout his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mertes

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

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

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

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