Etter
Sharp or pointed object, possibly relating to the Old Norse word "etta".
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Etter. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Etter today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Etter births was 1921 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Etter. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Etter is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Etters were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Etter. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1921
21 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1960 SSA rank
#6,649
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Etter: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Etter from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 113 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Etter by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Etter during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Etters live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Etter, while Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Etter
The given name Etter is believed to have originated from the Old English word "ættor," which means "venom" or "poison." This suggests that the name may have been used to describe someone with a sharp tongue or a confrontational personality in ancient times.
In the early medieval period, the name Etter was primarily found in regions of England and parts of Germany. It was sometimes spelled as "Ettar" or "Ettere" in various historical records and documents from that era.
One of the earliest known references to the name Etter can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals depicting the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The entry from the year 865 mentions an individual named "Etter the Bold," who was a prominent warrior during the Viking invasions of England.
Another notable figure bearing the name Etter was Etter von Kreuznach, a German knight who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his participation in the Crusades and is mentioned in several chronicles from that time period.
In the 13th century, Etter von Kräwinkil was a renowned German poet and minnesinger. His works, which celebrated courtly love and chivalry, were widely popular among the nobility of the time.
During the Renaissance, Etter Hederen, a Dutch painter and engraver, gained recognition for his intricate still-life paintings and portraits. He was born in 1567 and is considered one of the pioneers of the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
In more recent history, Etter Hoven was a Norwegian explorer and adventurer who lived from 1873 to 1945. He is famous for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and his contributions to the study of polar geography.
While the name Etter is not as common today as it was in ancient and medieval times, it remains a part of historical records and serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of various regions throughout history.
People
Etter + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Etter as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Etter: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Etter?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Etter going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Etter a common name?
We classify Etter as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 476 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Etter most popular?
The single biggest year for Etter was 1921, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Etter is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Etter in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Etter a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Etter in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Etter still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Etter in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Etter can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Etter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.