2000
#7,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Merz
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a swamp or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,729 Americans carry the last name Merz. That puts it at #7,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merz 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
4.7K
1 in 72,479
Census rank
#7,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,124 bearers of the surname Merz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merz
The surname MERZ is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the southern regions near the Swiss border. It likely dates back to the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to derive from the Middle High German word "merze," which means a boundary or border marker, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a territorial boundary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MERZ can be found in the Hirsau Codex, a medieval manuscript dating from around 1300. This document mentions a "Heinrich Merze" from the town of Nagold in the Black Forest region of present-day Baden-Württemberg.
In the 15th century, there are records of a MERZ family residing in the town of Überlingen on the shores of Lake Constance. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Mertz" and "März," reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time.
A prominent figure bearing the name MERZ was Johann Baptist Merz (1783-1858), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher from Giessen. He was a notable figure in the Catholic Enlightenment movement and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable individual was Kurt Merz (1904-1983), a German-born American artist and sculptor who was part of the Abstract Expressionist movement. He is known for his innovative use of materials and his contributions to modernist sculpture.
In the 19th century, the name MERZ appeared in several place names, such as Merzenich, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Merzenhausen, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely derived from the surname MERZ, reflecting the influence and presence of families bearing this name in those regions.
While the name MERZ is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and Austria, due to migration and cultural exchanges over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merz
Among Census respondents with the surname Merz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Merz 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 Merz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,804
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 169
- Two or more races2.2% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merz
Merz 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
#7,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,321
+47 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 480 places
2020
#7,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,124
-197 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,204 | 4,274 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,684 | 4,321 | 1.46 | +47 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 480 places |
| 2020 | #7,732 | 4,124 | 1.38 | -197 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 48 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 Merz 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 | #7,684 | #7,732 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,321 | 4,124 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.38 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merz bearers went from 4,321 to 4,124 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,684 to #7,732.
FAQ
Merz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,729 living Americans carry the surname Merz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,479 residents.
How common is Merz?
Merz ranks #7,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,124 people with the surname Merz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Merz.
Has Merz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merz went from 4,321 recorded bearers to 4,124. That is a decrease of 197 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,684 to #7,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Merz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Merz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Merz (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 Merz mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a swamp or bog. 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 Merz (1.38 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 Americans have the surname Merz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.