2000
#1,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.56
Uncommon Last name
Metzger
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a butcher or someone who cuts meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,384 Americans carry the last name Metzger. That puts it at #1,721 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metzger 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 Metzger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,658
Census rank
#1,721
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,392 bearers of the surname Metzger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1721st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Metzger
The surname Metzger originated in Germany and Switzerland. It is an occupational name derived from the Middle High German word "metziger", meaning a butcher or meat seller. The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, as the need for specialized trades and occupations grew in medieval Europe.
Metzger is a common surname found throughout German-speaking regions, with concentrations in Bavaria, Swabia, and Switzerland. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various town records and guild registers.
One of the earliest known references to the name Metzger is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Metziger" in 1292. Another notable early record is the Bern Taufbuch, a baptismal register from the city of Bern, Switzerland, which includes entries for several individuals with the surname Metzger in the 14th century.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Metzger are Johann Metzger (c. 1470-1540), a German Renaissance sculptor and woodcarver from Nuremberg, and Johann Metzger (1572-1657), a Swiss Reformed theologian and professor at the University of Basel.
In the 16th century, a prominent family of Metzgers lived in the town of Kirchheim unter Teck in Württemberg. One member of this family, Hans Metzger (c. 1510-1588), served as a councilor and mayor of the town.
Another noteworthy individual was Christoph Metzger (1591-1667), a German Baroque composer and organist from Memmingen, whose works included numerous sacred and secular compositions.
During the 18th century, Friedrich Metzger (1709-1787) was a renowned German architect and master builder from Mannheim, known for his work on the Mannheim Palace and other significant buildings in the region.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Metzger, a name that reflects the rich cultural heritage and occupational traditions of German-speaking lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metzger
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Metzger 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 Metzger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 18,820
- Two or more races2.8% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 544
- Black or African American1.2% · 244
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metzger
Metzger 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
#1,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,771
+385 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 7.04
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#1,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,392
-379 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 6.82
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,613 | 20,386 | 7.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,724 | 20,771 | 7.04 | +385 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #1,721 | 20,392 | 6.82 | -379 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 3 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 Metzger 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 | #1,724 | #1,721 | 0.2% |
| Count | 20,771 | 20,392 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.04 | 6.82 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metzger bearers went from 20,771 to 20,392 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,724 to #1,721.
FAQ
Metzger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metzger?
Name Census estimates that about 23,384 living Americans carry the surname Metzger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,658 residents.
How common is Metzger?
Metzger ranks #1,721 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,392 people with the surname Metzger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Metzger.
Has Metzger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metzger went from 20,771 recorded bearers to 20,392. That is a decrease of 379 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,724 to #1,721.
What does the Census say about the background of Metzger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Metzger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (18,820 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metzger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Metzger (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 Metzger mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a butcher or someone who cuts meat. 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 Metzger (6.82 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 share the surname Metzger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.