Find out how popular the last name Metz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Metz.

Metz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Metz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Metz in America

Metz is the 1760th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Metz surname appeared 20,366 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Metz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Metz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Metz

The surname Metz originates from the city of Metz, located in the Lorraine region of northeastern France. It first emerged as a locational surname during the medieval period, referring to someone who hailed from or lived near the city.

The city of Metz has a rich history dating back to ancient times. It was an important Roman settlement known as Divodurum Mediomatricorum, serving as a center of the Mediomatrici tribe. The name Metz derives from the Celtic word "Mediomatrici," meaning "inhabitants of the middle lands."

One of the earliest known references to the surname Metz can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population surveys conducted in England in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing the name had already migrated to England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Elias de Metz was recorded as a prominent scholar and theologian from the city of Metz. He was known for his contributions to the development of scholastic philosophy and his influential writings.

Another historical figure associated with the surname Metz was Conrad Metz, a 16th-century Renaissance painter from the city of Worms, Germany. He was renowned for his religious artworks and is considered one of the most important German painters of his time, active between 1510 and 1551.

In the 17th century, Johannes Metz (1617-1692) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He is best known for his work on the theory of comets and his collaboration with Johannes Hevelius.

During the 18th century, Christian Gottfried Metz (1721-1787) was a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on topics such as natural theology and the philosophy of religion. He served as a professor at the University of Göttingen and had a considerable influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Metz (1807-1884) was a German-American architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, including the Old Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France. His architectural works were instrumental in shaping the city's urban landscape during the mid-1800s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Metz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Metz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Metz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Metz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Metz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Metz, please contact us.

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