2000
#8,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Metts
A surname of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "mete," meaning food or sustenance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,976 Americans carry the last name Metts. That puts it at #9,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,206 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metts 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
4.0K
1 in 86,206
Census rank
#9,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,467 bearers of the surname Metts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metts, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Metts
The surname METTS has its origins in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "mete," which means food or provisions. Some linguists believe the name could also be related to the Old English word "metan," meaning to measure or estimate.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname METTS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Metts is listed as a landowner. The name is also found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1202, where a William Metts is mentioned.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there is a record of a place called "Metestun" in Warwickshire, which could be linked to the origins of the surname. This place name may have derived from a combination of the Old English words "mete" and "tun," meaning a settlement or farmstead where provisions were stored.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname METTS appeared in various records across England, with different spellings such as Mettes, Mettys, and Metys. One notable example is John Metts, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in trade with France in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, a branch of the METTS family settled in the county of Somerset, where they became landowners and established themselves as minor gentry. Thomas Metts (c. 1425 - 1498) was a prominent figure in this family, serving as a Justice of the Peace and Sheriff of Somerset.
The surname METTS continued to be found in various parts of England throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable bearer of the name was Robert Metts (c. 1580 - 1645), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
In the 18th century, the METTS family had branches in various counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. William Metts (1712 - 1784) was a successful farmer and landowner in Oxfordshire, while James Metts (1745 - 1822) was a prominent figure in the city of Bristol, serving as a magistrate and alderman.
Other notable individuals with the surname METTS include Sir Charles Metts (1825 - 1901), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy, and Mary Metts (1868 - 1943), an English novelist and playwright.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metts
Among Census respondents with the surname Metts, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Metts 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 Metts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 2,735
- Black or African American14.7% · 510
- Two or more races3.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metts
Metts 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
#8,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,896
+262 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#9,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,467
-429 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 572 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,366 | 3,634 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,473 | 3,896 | 1.32 | +262 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #9,045 | 3,467 | 1.16 | -429 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 572 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 Metts 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 | #8,473 | #9,045 | -6.8% |
| Count | 3,896 | 3,467 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.16 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metts bearers went from 3,896 to 3,467 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 572 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,473 to #9,045.
FAQ
Metts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metts?
Name Census estimates that about 3,976 living Americans carry the surname Metts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,206 residents.
How common is Metts?
Metts ranks #9,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,467 people with the surname Metts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Metts.
Has Metts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metts went from 3,896 recorded bearers to 3,467. That is a decrease of 429 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,473 to #9,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Metts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metts, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Metts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (2,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Metts (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 Metts mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "mete," meaning food or sustenance. 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 Metts (1.16 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 Metts?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Metts is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.