2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erter
Turkish nickname for someone from the Er region or ethnicity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Erter. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erter 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Erter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erter
The surname ERTER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "Erter," meaning "plowman" or "farmer." This suggests that the name was initially given as an occupational surname to those who worked the land.
The earliest recorded instances of the ERTER surname can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. Historical records from the 1500s mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Erther, Erter, and Ertter, living in these areas.
One of the earliest known references to the ERTER name appears in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony from the late 16th century. These records document the births, marriages, and deaths of families with the ERTER surname in various towns and villages across the region.
In the 17th century, the ERTER name began to spread beyond the borders of Germany. Records indicate that individuals bearing this surname migrated to neighboring countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, likely seeking new opportunities or fleeing religious persecution.
Notable individuals with the ERTER surname throughout history include:
1. Hans Erter (1570-1635), a German farmer and landowner from Bavaria who played a significant role in the local community during the Thirty Years' War.
2. Johann Erter (1620-1692), a German Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig, known for his scholarly works on biblical exegesis.
3. Anna Maria Erter (1675-1738), a prominent figure in the Swiss Anabaptist movement, who advocated for religious tolerance and helped establish Anabaptist communities in the Alsace region.
4. Friedrich Erter (1780-1847), a German industrialist and inventor who developed innovative techniques for textile manufacturing in Saxony.
5. Wilhelmine Erter (1825-1890), a German writer and educator who published several works on children's literature and advocated for women's education in the 19th century.
While the ERTER surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals who have contributed to the rich tapestry of history in their respective fields and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erter
Among Census respondents with the surname Erter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Erter 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 Erter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 97
- Two or more races9.6% · 11
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erter
Erter 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 437 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 437 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,453 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 Erter 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 | #138,304 | #145,757 | -5.4% |
| Count | 121 | 115 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erter bearers went from 121 to 115 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,757.
FAQ
Erter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erter?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Erter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Erter?
Erter ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Erter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Erter.
Has Erter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erter went from 121 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Erter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erter, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Erter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Two or More Races (9.6%), Black (3.5%). 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 Erter (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 Erter mean?
Turkish nickname for someone from the Er region or ethnicity. 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 Erter (0.04 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 Erter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.