2000
#8,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Bitner
A German occupational surname denoting a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German word "büttner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,725 Americans carry the last name Bitner. That puts it at #9,573 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bitner 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
3.7K
1 in 92,015
Census rank
#9,573
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,248 bearers of the surname Bitner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9573rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bitner
The surname Bitner is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was first recorded in the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "bitte," meaning "request" or "petition," and the suffix "-ner," which indicates an occupation or a place of origin.
One of the earliest known records of the Bitner surname dates back to 1582, when Johannes Bitner was listed in the church records of Württemberg, a region in southwestern Germany. This suggests that the name may have originated in this area or nearby regions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bitner name began to spread across other parts of Germany and into neighboring countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. It is possible that the name may have been associated with people who worked as petitioners or messengers, as the root word "bitte" suggests a connection to requests or appeals.
In the 19th century, the Bitner surname was found in various historical records, including census records and birth registers. One notable example is Johann Bitner, a German composer and organist who lived from 1827 to 1898.
As the Bitner family spread across Europe and beyond, different variations of the name emerged, such as Bittner, Büttner, and Bittner. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling variations.
Among the notable individuals with the Bitner surname throughout history are:
1. Johann Bitner (1827-1898), a German composer and organist.
2. Otto Bitner (1876-1956), an Austrian architect known for his work in Vienna.
3. Hans Bitner (1906-1980), a German-American physicist who worked on the development of radar technology during World War II.
4. Gertrude Bitner (1917-2005), an American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of operations research.
5. Max Bitner (1924-2014), a Polish-American artist known for his paintings and sculptures.
While the Bitner surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries, as a result of migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bitner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bitner 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 Bitner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,003
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 89
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bitner
Bitner 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
#8,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,753
+400 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 227 places
2020
#9,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,248
-505 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,968 | 3,353 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,741 | 3,753 | 1.27 | +400 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 227 places |
| 2020 | #9,573 | 3,248 | 1.09 | -505 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 832 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 Bitner 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 | #8,741 | #9,573 | -9.5% |
| Count | 3,753 | 3,248 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.09 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bitner bearers went from 3,753 to 3,248 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 832 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,741 to #9,573.
FAQ
Bitner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bitner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,725 living Americans carry the surname Bitner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,015 residents.
How common is Bitner?
Bitner ranks #9,573 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,248 people with the surname Bitner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bitner.
Has Bitner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bitner went from 3,753 recorded bearers to 3,248. That is a decrease of 505 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,741 to #9,573.
What does the Census say about the background of Bitner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bitner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bitner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bitner (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 Bitner mean?
A German occupational surname denoting a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German word "büttner." 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 Bitner (1.09 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 Bitner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.