2000
#97,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Binter
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Binter. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Binter 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Binter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Binter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Binter
The surname Binter is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century in the Rhineland region. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "binter," which referred to a basket or container maker. It was initially a descriptive occupational surname given to individuals who crafted baskets or worked with woven containers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Binter can be found in the 1437 census records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Hans Binter is mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name had already become established as a hereditary surname by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various documents and records from the German states. For instance, in the 1557 tax rolls of the town of Mainz, a Johann Binter is listed as a taxpayer, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Binter surname began to spread beyond the German territories. Records show that in 1673, a Michael Binter emigrated from the Palatinate region to the British colonies in America, settling in Pennsylvania. This marks one of the earliest instances of the name being introduced to the New World.
Notable individuals with the surname Binter include:
1. Johann Binter (1602-1678), a German Protestant theologian and author from Strasbourg, known for his works on biblical exegesis.
2. Maria Binter (1739-1820), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, renowned for her intricate engravings of architectural and landscape scenes.
3. Franz Binter (1815-1890), an Austrian composer and conductor who served as the Kapellmeister at the Salzburg Cathedral in the mid-19th century.
4. Karl Binter (1867-1941), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Hildegard Binter (1904-1987), a German author and poet from Munich, whose works explored themes of identity and the human condition.
While the Binter surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by individuals who emigrated or relocated over the centuries. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name continues to be associated with its historical origins as a marker of the basket-making trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Binter
Among Census respondents with the surname Binter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Binter 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 Binter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Binter
Binter 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-51 bearers (-29.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 40,456 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97,848 | 172 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -51 bearers (-29.7%) | Down 40,456 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 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 Binter 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 | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Binter bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Binter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Binter?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Binter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Binter?
Binter ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Binter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Binter.
Has Binter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Binter went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Binter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Binter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Binter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Binter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Binter (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 Binter mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Binter (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Binter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.