2000
#42,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Metter
A German surname referring to a harvester, farm worker, or reaper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 493 Americans carry the last name Metter. That puts it at #52,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 695,242 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metter 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
493
1 in 695,242
Census rank
#52,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
430
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 430 bearers of the surname Metter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Metter
The surname Metter is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. It likely emerged sometime in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "metter," which referred to a person who made or sold mead, a fermented honey beverage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Metter can be found in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Metter was mentioned in a document dated 1456. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the mid-15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Metter appeared in several notable historical records. For example, the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Gundelsheim in Franconia contain entries for a family named Metter dating back to the late 1500s.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Metter include Johann Metter (c. 1550-1616), a German Lutheran theologian and author of several religious works. Another prominent figure was Hans Metter (1580-1648), a master goldsmith from Nuremberg whose intricate creations were highly sought after by nobles and wealthy patrons across Europe.
In the 17th century, the name Metter spread beyond its original heartland in Bavaria and Franconia. Records from this period mention individuals with this surname living in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions such as Bohemia and Austria.
One notable figure from this era was Johann Baptist Metter (1663-1726), a Bavarian architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style. His most famous work is the Asam Church in Munich, which he co-designed with his brother, the celebrated sculptor Cosmas Damian Asam.
As the centuries passed, the Metter surname continued to be found across various parts of Germany and the German-speaking world. In the 19th century, for instance, the name appears in records from areas as diverse as Saxony, Silesia, and the Rhineland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metter
Among Census respondents with the surname Metter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Metter 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 Metter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 399
- Two or more races3.7% · 16
- Black or African American1.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metter
Metter 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
#51,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 407
-68 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 8,264 places
2020
#52,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 430
+23 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,912 | 475 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,176 | 407 | 0.14 | -68 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 8,264 places |
| 2020 | #52,161 | 430 | 0.14 | +23 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 985 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 Metter 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 | #51,176 | #52,161 | -1.9% |
| Count | 407 | 430 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metter bearers went from 407 to 430 (+5.7% change). The surname moved down 985 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,176 to #52,161.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Metter
FAQ
Metter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metter?
Name Census estimates that about 493 living Americans carry the surname Metter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 695,242 residents.
How common is Metter?
Metter ranks #52,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 430 people with the surname Metter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Metter.
Has Metter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metter went from 407 recorded bearers to 430. That is an increase of 23 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,176 to #52,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Metter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (1.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Metter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (1.4%). 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 Metter (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 Metter mean?
A German surname referring to a harvester, farm worker, or reaper. 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 Metter (0.14 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 Metter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Metter is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.