2000
#1,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.42
Uncommon Last name
Metz
A German toponymic surname derived from the city of Metz, France, indicating an ancestral origin in that region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,187 Americans carry the last name Metz. That puts it at #1,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,448 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Metz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,448
Census rank
#1,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,348 bearers of the surname Metz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metz
Among Census respondents with the surname Metz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Metz 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 Metz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 17,388
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 687
- Two or more races3.1% · 608
- Black or African American2.3% · 451
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metz
Metz 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
#1,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,366
+356 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#1,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,348
-1,018 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 6.47
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,640 | 20,010 | 7.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,760 | 20,366 | 6.90 | +356 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #1,815 | 19,348 | 6.47 | -1,018 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 55 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 Metz 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 | #1,760 | #1,815 | -3.1% |
| Count | 20,366 | 19,348 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.90 | 6.47 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metz bearers went from 20,366 to 19,348 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,760 to #1,815.
FAQ
Metz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metz?
Name Census estimates that about 22,187 living Americans carry the surname Metz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,448 residents.
How common is Metz?
Metz ranks #1,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,348 people with the surname Metz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Metz.
Has Metz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metz went from 20,366 recorded bearers to 19,348. That is a decrease of 1,018 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,760 to #1,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Metz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Metz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (17,388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Metz (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 Metz mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from the city of Metz, France, indicating an ancestral origin in that region. 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 Metz (6.47 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 Americans have the surname Metz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.