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

Fetter, 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 Fetter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fetter in America

Fetter is the 8392nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fetter surname appeared 3,944 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 Fetter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fetter 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 Fetter

The surname Fetter is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "fezzer," which means "fetter" or "chain." It is likely that the name was originally an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or locksmiths, crafting chains, fetters, and other restraints.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fetter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1260. This document mentions a certain "Conradus Fetter" from the town of Pritzwalk.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Stadtbücher (city books) of Cologne, where a "Johannes Fetter" is mentioned in 1363. The name also surfaces in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a collection of medieval charters from Westphalia, with a "Henricus Fetter" recorded in 1374.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Fetter throughout history include Johann Fetter (1566-1629), a German composer and organist from Saxony; Hans Fetter (1488-1564), a Swiss Catholic scholar and theologian; and Georg Fetter (1705-1771), a German architect and builder from Saxony-Anhalt.

In the 16th century, the name Fetter appears in the records of the University of Cambridge, with a "Thomas Fetter" enrolling as a student in 1565. This suggests that the name may have been carried to England by German immigrants or travelers during this period.

Another notable individual with the surname Fetter was Sir William Fetter (1785-1858), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Lieutenant Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

As the name spread across Europe and beyond, various spelling variations emerged, including Feter, Fetter, Fetters, and Vetter. Some of these variants may have been influenced by place names or local dialects, while others were likely the result of transcription errors or anglicization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fetter

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

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 Fetter 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 Fetter 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 Fetter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!