2000
#13,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Bitter
An English surname referring to a person with a disagreeable, angry, or harsh temperament or personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,287 Americans carry the last name Bitter. That puts it at #14,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,871 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bitter 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
2.3K
1 in 149,871
Census rank
#14,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,994 bearers of the surname Bitter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bitter
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bitter 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 Bitter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,794
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 66
- Two or more races3.1% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 34
- Black or African American1.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bitter
Bitter 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
#11,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,618
+481 bearers (+22.5%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 1,177 places
2020
#14,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,994
-624 bearers (-23.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 2,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,119 | 2,137 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,942 | 2,618 | 0.89 | +481 bearers (+22.5%) | Up 1,177 places |
| 2020 | #14,424 | 1,994 | 0.67 | -624 bearers (-23.8%) | Down 2,482 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 Bitter 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 | #11,942 | #14,424 | -20.8% |
| Count | 2,618 | 1,994 | -23.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.67 | -25.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bitter bearers went from 2,618 to 1,994 (-23.8% change). The surname moved down 2,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,942 to #14,424.
FAQ
Bitter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bitter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,287 living Americans carry the surname Bitter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,871 residents.
How common is Bitter?
Bitter ranks #14,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,994 people with the surname Bitter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Bitter.
Has Bitter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bitter went from 2,618 recorded bearers to 1,994. That is a decrease of 624 (-23.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,942 to #14,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Bitter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bitter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bitter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bitter (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 Bitter mean?
An English surname referring to a person with a disagreeable, angry, or harsh temperament or personality. 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 Bitter (0.67 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 Bitter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.