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Mertens History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Mertens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Germany

Mertens is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Mertens family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Mertens family lived in one of the places called Merton in South London, Devon, Norfolk. The family also lived in the places named Marton in Cheshire, Cleveland, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Shropshire, the North Riding in Yorkshire and Warwickshire.

There were also places named Martin in Hampshire and Lincolnshire. All of these place-names were derived from the Old English words mere, which means lake or pool, and tun, which means enclosure or settlement. 1

Early Origins of the Mertens family

The surname Mertens was first found in Devon, South London, Norfolk or in Oxfordshire. The South London village is technically oldest as it dates back to Saxon times when it was listed as Mertone in 967. The remaining place name were listed as follows in the Domesday Book: Mertone (Devon); Meretone (South London); Mertuna 2; and Meretone (Oxfordshire.) 3

Great Torrington in Devon was home to some of the family in early times. "At a very early period it gave the title of Baron to its lords, who had the power of life and death throughout the lordship. In 1340, Richard de Merton, in whose possession it then was, erected a castle here, of which the chapel was remaining about the close of the last century (1700)." 4

The London Borough of Merton was formed under the London Government Act 1963 and includes the Merton and Morden Urban District. Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford.

Continued our quest for early records of the surname, some of the earliest records include Adam de Mertuna in 1189 and Thomas de Marton in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1212. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists John de Merton and William de Merton in Oxfordshire, and Walter de Merton in Norfolk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Alicia de Merton and Thomas de Merton. 6

"In the reign of Henry III., Walter de Merton (c. 1205-1277), lord high chancellor of England, and afterwards Bishop of Rochester, founded [in Merton, Surrey] a seminary of learning, which he subsequently removed to Oxford, on the foundation of Merton College." 4

Early History of the Mertens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mertens research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1277, 1394, 1400, 1585 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Mertens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mertens Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Mertone, Merton, Merten, Mertens, Mertin, Mertins, Murton, Myrton, Myrtone, Mertoun and many more.

Early Notables of the Mertens family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mertens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mertens World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mertens is the 7,390^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Mertens is ranked the 5,677^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 8 And in Netherlands, the name Mertens is the 403^rd popular surname with an estimated 4,032 people with that name. 9

Mertens migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Mertens or a variant listed above:

Mertens Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Mertens, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 10
George Mertens, who landed in America in 1776
Christ Mertens, who landed in America in 1778 10
Georg Mertens, who landed in America in 1780 10
Jacob Mertens, who arrived in America in 1783 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mertens Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Mertens, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1825
Trims Mertens, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 10
H Mertens, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 10
Claus Mertens, aged 24, who landed in Missouri in 1840 10
Justine Wieland Mertens, aged 52, who landed in America in 1843 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mertens migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mertens Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jacob Mertens, who landed in Canada in 1783

Mertens Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Christoph Mertens, who arrived in Quebec in 1850

Mertens migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mertens Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Catherine Mertens, (b. 1845), aged 20, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 1st January 1866 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Mertens (post 1700) +

William Mertens Jr., American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1944 (alternate), 1956 (alternate), 1960; Presidential Elector for New York, 1952; Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District, 1956
Kevin Mertens, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2004
John J. Mertens (b. 1870), American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 40th District, 1909-12; Member of South Dakota State Senate 36th District, 1921-24
H. C. Mertens, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Osage County, 1933-34
Charles A. Mertens, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Erie County, 1901-02
Raymond Mertens (1933-2023), Belgian football player and manager who played as a goalkeeper (1965-1992)
Barbara Mertens (1968-2021), Belgian journalist and television presenter
René Mertens (1922-2014), Belgian racing cyclist
Jean-François Mertens (1946-2012), Belgian game theorist and mathematical economist
Stéphane Mertens (b. 1959), Belgian motorcycle road racer
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Mertens family +

Bismarck

Kurt Mertens (1915-1941), German Matrosenhauptgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 12
Otto Mertens (1915-1941), German Maschinenmaat Res. who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 12

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details