2000
#4,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,612
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Metzler
An occupational surname for a knife maker, from the Middle High German "metzeler" or "metzler," meaning "butcher" or "bladesmith."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,466 Americans carry the last name Metzler. That puts it at #5,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Metzler 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
7.5K
1 in 45,909
Census rank
#5,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,511 bearers of the surname Metzler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Metzler
The surname Metzler is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a occupational surname derived from the German word "Metzler," which translates to "butcher" or "meat seller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in the trade of butchery or the sale of meat.
The name is believed to have originated in various regions of present-day Germany, where butchery and meat trading were common professions during the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century, where a certain Johannes Metzler was mentioned as a local butcher.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the town chronicles of Augsburg, referencing a merchant named Hans Metzler, who dealt in the sale of meat and other provisions. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by that time.
An interesting historical reference to the name Metzler can be found in the Grimmelshausen novel "Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus" from 1668, which features a character named Metzler, who is described as a butcher's apprentice.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Metzler dates back to the late 16th century, with the birth of Johann Metzler (1565-1638), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen.
Another notable figure with the surname Metzler was Johann Valentin Metzler (1720-1795), a German court painter and engraver who was born in Nuremberg and worked for various European noble families.
In the 19th century, Georg Metzler (1834-1902) gained prominence as a German industrialist and founder of the Metzler Bank, one of the oldest private banks in Germany, which is still in operation today.
The name Metzler has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Metzlersreuth, a town in Bavaria, and Metzlershausen, a village in Thuringia.
It's worth mentioning that the surname Metzler has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Metzler, Metzeler, Metzger, and Metzinger, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Metzler
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Metzler 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 Metzler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 5,964
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 261
- Two or more races2.8% · 181
- Black or African American0.9% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Metzler
Metzler 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
#5,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,657
+45 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 363 places
2020
#5,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,511
-146 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,876 | 6,612 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,239 | 6,657 | 2.26 | +45 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 363 places |
| 2020 | #5,184 | 6,511 | 2.18 | -146 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 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 Metzler 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 | #5,239 | #5,184 | 1.0% |
| Count | 6,657 | 6,511 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.18 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Metzler bearers went from 6,657 to 6,511 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,239 to #5,184.
FAQ
Metzler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Metzler?
Name Census estimates that about 7,466 living Americans carry the surname Metzler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,909 residents.
How common is Metzler?
Metzler ranks #5,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,511 people with the surname Metzler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Metzler.
Has Metzler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Metzler went from 6,657 recorded bearers to 6,511. That is a decrease of 146 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,239 to #5,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Metzler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Metzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Metzler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (5,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Metzler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Metzler (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 Metzler mean?
An occupational surname for a knife maker, from the Middle High German "metzeler" or "metzler," meaning "butcher" or "bladesmith." 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 Metzler (2.18 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 are called Metzler?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Metzler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.