2000
#11,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Deeter
Derived from the German surname Dieter, meaning "ruler of the people" or "people-ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,601 Americans carry the last name Deeter. That puts it at #12,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,778 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deeter 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
2.6K
1 in 131,778
Census rank
#12,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,268 bearers of the surname Deeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deeter
The surname Deeter has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the medieval German word "dieter," which means "people" or "folk." This name likely originated in the region of Germany known as Saxony, where it was used to identify individuals who belonged to a particular community or group of people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Deeter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period and may have been associated with certain families or clans within the region.
In the 14th century, the surname Deeter appeared in various church records and legal documents in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia. One notable individual from this era was Hans Deeter, a wealthy merchant who was born in the town of Erfurt in 1352 and played a significant role in the local trade guilds.
As the surname spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Deter, Deiter, and Deitert. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices at the time.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family named Deeter residing in the town of Wittenberg, where they were involved in the Protestant Reformation movement. One member of this family, Johann Deeter (1523-1587), was a prominent theologian and close associate of Martin Luther.
During the 17th century, the surname Deeter gained prominence in the region of Bavaria, where it was associated with several influential families. One notable figure was Sebastian Deeter (1625-1692), a renowned architect who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style.
As the centuries progressed, individuals bearing the surname Deeter dispersed throughout various parts of Europe and eventually made their way to other parts of the world, including North America. Notable individuals with the surname Deeter include:
1. Heinrich Deeter (1798-1876), a German-American farmer and pioneer who settled in Ohio in the early 19th century.
2. Anna Deeter (1835-1912), a German-American nurse and philanthropist known for her work in establishing hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri.
3. William Deeter (1870-1945), an American lawyer and politician who served as a congressman from New York in the early 20th century.
4. Gertrude Deeter (1879-1950), a Canadian artist and painter renowned for her landscapes and portraiture.
5. Otto Deeter (1894-1977), a German-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for industrial machinery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deeter 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 Deeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,041
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 94
- Two or more races3.8% · 87
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deeter
Deeter 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
#12,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
+28 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 792 places
2020
#12,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,268
-220 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,684 | 2,460 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,476 | 2,488 | 0.84 | +28 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 792 places |
| 2020 | #12,950 | 2,268 | 0.76 | -220 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 474 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 Deeter 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 | #12,476 | #12,950 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,488 | 2,268 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.76 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deeter bearers went from 2,488 to 2,268 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 474 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,476 to #12,950.
FAQ
Deeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deeter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,601 living Americans carry the surname Deeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,778 residents.
How common is Deeter?
Deeter ranks #12,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,268 people with the surname Deeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,601), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Deeter.
Has Deeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deeter went from 2,488 recorded bearers to 2,268. That is a decrease of 220 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,476 to #12,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Deeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Deeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Deeter (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 Deeter mean?
Derived from the German surname Dieter, meaning "ruler of the people" or "people-ruler." 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 Deeter (0.76 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 have the last name Deeter?
Find out how many people are called Deeter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.