2000
#24,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Beiter
A surname likely originating from Middle High German "bîter" meaning "waiting servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,281 Americans carry the last name Beiter. That puts it at #23,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 267,568 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beiter 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
1.3K
1 in 267,568
Census rank
#23,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,117 bearers of the surname Beiter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beiter
The surname Beiter is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known use dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "beiten," which means "to wait" or "to pause." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their patient or leisurely nature.
The name Beiter is thought to have first emerged in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was commonly found in historical records and documents from the 1500s onwards. Some of the earliest recorded variations of the spelling include Beyter, Beiter, and Beitter.
One of the earliest known references to the Beiter surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention several families with the Beiter name residing in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Beiter began to spread beyond Bavaria and Saxony, with records indicating families bearing this surname in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland.
Notable individuals with the surname Beiter throughout history include:
1. Hans Beiter (c. 1580-1640), a German merchant and landowner from Nuremberg, who played a significant role in the development of the city's trade and commerce during the 17th century.
2. Anna Beiter (1625-1698), a German midwife and herbalist from the town of Bamberg, who was renowned for her expertise in traditional medicine and childbirth practices.
3. Johann Beiter (1710-1778), a German clockmaker and inventor from Augsburg, who is credited with developing several innovative timepiece mechanisms and designs.
4. Ludwig Beiter (1820-1892), a German painter and engraver from Munich, whose works were widely celebrated for their intricate detail and depictions of rural life.
5. Katharina Beiter (1865-1939), a German educator and women's rights activist from Berlin, who played a prominent role in advocating for equal educational opportunities for girls and women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the Beiter surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the German regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it first emerged as a descriptive nickname reflecting the patient or leisurely nature of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beiter
Among Census respondents with the surname Beiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Beiter 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 Beiter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 1,066
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 23
- Two or more races2.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beiter
Beiter 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
#26,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 917
-29 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,852 places
2020
#23,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,117
+200 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 3,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,724 | 946 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,576 | 917 | 0.31 | -29 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 1,852 places |
| 2020 | #23,455 | 1,117 | 0.37 | +200 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 3,121 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 Beiter 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 | #26,576 | #23,455 | 11.7% |
| Count | 917 | 1,117 | 21.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.37 | 20.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beiter bearers went from 917 to 1,117 (+21.8% change). The surname moved up 3,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,576 to #23,455.
FAQ
Beiter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beiter?
Name Census estimates that about 1,281 living Americans carry the surname Beiter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 267,568 residents.
How common is Beiter?
Beiter ranks #23,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,117 people with the surname Beiter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Beiter.
Has Beiter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beiter went from 917 recorded bearers to 1,117. That is an increase of 200 (+21.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #26,576 to #23,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Beiter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Beiter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (1,066 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beiter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Beiter (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 Beiter mean?
A surname likely originating from Middle High German "bîter" meaning "waiting servant". 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 Beiter (0.37 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 have the last name Beiter?
Want to know how common the surname Beiter is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.