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

Metzel, 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 Metzel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Metzel in America

Metzel is the 65066th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Metzel surname appeared 305 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Metzel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Metzel 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 Metzel

The surname METZEL originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "mez," meaning "to cut" or "to slaughter," indicating that the name may have been an occupational surname for a butcher or a person involved in the meat trade.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name METZEL can be found in the "Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium," a manuscript compiled by the Benedictine Abbey of Corvey in Westphalia, Germany, in the 9th century. This document mentions a person named "Metzel" who was a landowner in the region.

In the 14th century, a historical figure named Hans METZEL (c. 1310-1380) was a prominent merchant and member of the city council in Nuremberg, Bavaria. He played a significant role in the city's trade and politics during that time.

Another notable individual with the METZEL surname was Johann METZEL (1517-1587), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician to the Electors of Saxony in Dresden. His compositions, primarily sacred choral works, were widely performed and influential during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the METZEL name was associated with the town of Metzeln (now known as Metzels) in the Eifel region of Germany. This town likely derived its name from the surname, possibly indicating that the area was once inhabited by a family or community of Metzels.

During the 18th century, a prominent figure named Friedrich METZEL (1714-1783) was a German architect and master builder who designed several important buildings in Berlin, including the Haus der Berliner Kaufmannschaft (House of the Berlin Merchants) and the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg.

The surname METZEL has also been recorded with variations in spelling, such as Metzler, Metzger, and Metzinger, all of which share a similar etymological origin and meaning related to the trade of butchery or meat processing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Metzel

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

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 Metzel 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 Metzel 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 Metzel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!