Find out how popular the last name Bitter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bitter.

Bitter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bitter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bitter in America

Bitter is the 11942nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bitter surname appeared 2,618 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bitter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bitter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bitter

The surname Bitter is believed to have originated in Germany, likely derived from the Old High German word "bittar," which means "bitter" or "sharp." This name may have initially been used as a descriptive name for someone with a bitter or sharp personality or taste.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bitter surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In medieval records, the name was often spelled as "Bittere" or "Bytter," reflecting the regional variations in language and spelling conventions of the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Bitter surname was Johannes Bitter, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a trade document dated 1312. Another notable figure was Heinrich Bitter, a scholar and clergyman from Leipzig, who lived in the 15th century and authored several treatises on theology.

The Bitter name also appears in historical records related to the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. In the 14th century, a merchant named Hans Bitter from Lübeck was involved in trade dealings with the league's outposts in the Baltic region.

During the 16th century, the Bitter family established themselves as landowners and noblemen in parts of Saxony and Brandenburg. One prominent member was Friedrich von Bitter (1490-1561), a knight and military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Bitter family settled in the Netherlands, where they became influential in the textile trade. Pieter Bitter (1615-1678), a successful merchant and entrepreneur from Amsterdam, was instrumental in establishing trade routes with the Dutch East Indies.

As the Bitter name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions. In the 18th century, Johann Bitter (1723-1789), a German-born botanist and explorer, contributed significantly to the study of flora in the Russian Empire, particularly in the Caucasus region.

Throughout history, the Bitter surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, merchants, nobles, and artists. While not an exhaustive list, these examples illustrate the diverse origins and historical presence of the Bitter name across different eras and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bitter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bitter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bitter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bitter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bitter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bitter, please contact us.

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