2000
#9,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Mettler
A surname of German origin referring to a person who made measuring instruments or worked as a corn measurer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,123 Americans carry the last name Mettler. That puts it at #11,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,752 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mettler 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
3.1K
1 in 109,752
Census rank
#11,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,723 bearers of the surname Mettler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mettler
The surname METTLER has its origins in Switzerland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Mettel," which means "small cultivated plot of land." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely farmers or landowners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the METTLER name can be found in the Swiss Canton of Bern in the late 1500s. Historical records from that time mention individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Mettler, Metteler, and Mettelер.
In the 17th century, the METTLER name began to appear in various Swiss villages and towns, indicating the family's spread throughout the region. One notable figure from this era was Johann METTLER, a wealthy merchant and landowner born in Zurich in 1632.
As the METTLER family continued to grow and expand, some members migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. In the 18th century, records show a METTLER family settling in the German state of Bavaria, where they established themselves as successful farmers and tradespeople.
One of the most prominent figures bearing the METTLER name was Friedrich METTLER, a Swiss watchmaker born in 1828. He founded the Mettler Toledo company, which became a leading manufacturer of precision instruments and weighing scales.
Another notable METTLER was Hans METTLER, a Swiss artist and sculptor born in 1915. His works were exhibited in galleries throughout Europe and the United States, and he is renowned for his abstract and modernist style.
Other individuals of note include Johann Jakob METTLER (1783-1853), a Swiss politician and member of the cantonal government of Bern, and Karl METTLER (1891-1976), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and Munich.
Throughout its history, the METTLER surname has maintained a strong presence in Switzerland, Germany, and other parts of Europe, with many families continuing to carry on the legacy of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mettler
Among Census respondents with the surname Mettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mettler 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 Mettler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,510
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- Two or more races3.2% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mettler
Mettler 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
#9,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,250
+237 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#11,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
-527 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,882 | 3,013 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,929 | 3,250 | 1.10 | +237 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #11,119 | 2,723 | 0.91 | -527 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 1,190 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 Mettler 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 | #9,929 | #11,119 | -12.0% |
| Count | 3,250 | 2,723 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.91 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mettler bearers went from 3,250 to 2,723 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 1,190 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,929 to #11,119.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mettler
FAQ
Mettler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mettler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,123 living Americans carry the surname Mettler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,752 residents.
How common is Mettler?
Mettler ranks #11,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,723 people with the surname Mettler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Mettler.
Has Mettler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mettler went from 3,250 recorded bearers to 2,723. That is a decrease of 527 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,929 to #11,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Mettler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mettler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mettler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mettler (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 Mettler mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person who made measuring instruments or worked as a corn measurer. 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 Mettler (0.91 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 are called Mettler?
You can see how common the surname Mettler is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.