2000
#12,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Bittinger
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "one who lives by a hollow with bittern birds."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,400 Americans carry the last name Bittinger. That puts it at #13,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bittinger 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
2.4K
1 in 142,814
Census rank
#13,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,093 bearers of the surname Bittinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bittinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bittinger
The surname Bittinger originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "bittinger," which means "bitter." This could suggest that the name may have been a descriptive nickname initially given to someone with a bitter or harsh demeanor.
The earliest known record of the Bittinger name can be found in the town of Schwabach, located in the Middle Franconian region of Bavaria, Germany. In 1567, a man named Hans Bittinger was documented as a resident of the town.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, also in Bavaria. In 1582, a man named Christoph Bittinger was listed as a citizen of the city.
One of the earliest known Bittingers to immigrate to North America was Johann Georg Bittinger, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1749. He settled in York County and is considered one of the progenitors of the Bittinger family in the United States.
In the late 18th century, the Bittinger name appeared in various records in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. John Bittinger (1760-1839) was a prominent early settler in the area and served as a captain in the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure with the Bittinger surname was Benjamin Franklin Bittinger (1833-1920), an American educator and author from Pennsylvania. He served as the principal of Millersville Normal School (now Millersville University) and wrote several textbooks on mathematics and pedagogy.
In the 19th century, the Bittinger name was also found in various parts of Maryland, including Frederick County. One of the earliest known Bittingers in the area was Jacob Bittinger (1794-1877), who was a farmer and landowner.
Throughout history, the Bittinger surname has had variations in its spelling, including Bittenger, Bittenger, and Bittinger. These variations can be found in different regions and records, reflecting the influence of local dialects and scribal variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bittinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Bittinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bittinger 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 Bittinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 1,966
- Two or more races2.6% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bittinger
Bittinger 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
#11,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
+421 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 814 places
2020
#13,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,093
-648 bearers (-23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 2,348 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,292 | 2,320 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,478 | 2,741 | 0.93 | +421 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 814 places |
| 2020 | #13,826 | 2,093 | 0.70 | -648 bearers (-23.6%) | Down 2,348 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 Bittinger 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 | #11,478 | #13,826 | -20.5% |
| Count | 2,741 | 2,093 | -23.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.70 | -24.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bittinger bearers went from 2,741 to 2,093 (-23.6% change). The surname moved down 2,348 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,478 to #13,826.
FAQ
Bittinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bittinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,400 living Americans carry the surname Bittinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,814 residents.
How common is Bittinger?
Bittinger ranks #13,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,093 people with the surname Bittinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Bittinger.
Has Bittinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bittinger went from 2,741 recorded bearers to 2,093. That is a decrease of 648 (-23.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,478 to #13,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Bittinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bittinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bittinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,966 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bittinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bittinger (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 Bittinger mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "one who lives by a hollow with bittern birds." 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 Bittinger (0.70 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 share the surname Bittinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.