2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Metra
A surname of Greek origin meaning "step-mother".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Metra. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metra 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Metra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (17.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Metra
The surname Metra is of Italian origin, specifically from the northern regions of the country, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "metra," which means a unit of measurement or a measure of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Metra can be found in the registers of the city of Genoa, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, a certain Giovanni Metra is mentioned as a landowner and merchant, suggesting that the name may have originally been associated with individuals involved in land measurement or ownership.
During the Renaissance period, the Metra family gained prominence in the city of Milan. Several members of the family held important positions in the local government and were influential patrons of the arts. One notable figure from this time was Girolamo Metra (1500-1572), a renowned architect and sculptor who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Milan.
In the 17th century, the Metra name appeared in the records of the Republic of Venice, where a branch of the family had established itself. Pietro Metra (1620-1692) was a successful merchant and trader who played a significant role in the city's maritime commerce.
Moving to the 18th century, the Metra family had spread to other parts of Italy, including the region of Piedmont. Here, we find the name of Antonio Metra (1725-1798), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the courts of Turin.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Metra was Giacomo Metra (1810-1879), an Italian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia and later became a senator in the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.
Throughout its history, the surname Metra has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, in some historical documents, the name is spelled as "Metrae" or "Metria," which further reinforces its connection to the concept of measurement and land.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metra
Among Census respondents with the surname Metra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (17.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Metra 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 Metra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander61.7% · 71
- White20.0% · 23
- Black or African American17.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metra
Metra appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 4,695 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 Metra 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 | #150,452 | #145,757 | 3.1% |
| Count | 109 | 115 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metra bearers went from 109 to 115 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 4,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,757.
FAQ
Metra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metra?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Metra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Metra?
Metra ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Metra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Metra.
Has Metra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metra went from 109 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 6 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Metra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (17.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Metra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (61.7%), White (20.0%), Black (17.4%). 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 Metra (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 Metra mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "step-mother". 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 Metra (0.04 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 last name Metra?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Metra at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.