2000
#7,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,837
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Fetter
An occupational surname referring to a maker of fetters, chains, or shackles, or a nickname for a prisoner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,025 Americans carry the last name Fetter. That puts it at #8,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fetter 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
4.0K
1 in 85,156
Census rank
#8,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,510 bearers of the surname Fetter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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earliest recorded instances of the name Fetter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1260.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fetter
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fetter 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 Fetter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 3,172
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 119
- Two or more races3.1% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 43
- Black or African American1.1% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fetter
Fetter 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
#8,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,944
+107 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 405 places
2020
#8,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,510
-434 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,987 | 3,837 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,392 | 3,944 | 1.34 | +107 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 405 places |
| 2020 | #8,946 | 3,510 | 1.17 | -434 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 554 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 Fetter 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 | #8,392 | #8,946 | -6.6% |
| Count | 3,944 | 3,510 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.17 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fetter bearers went from 3,944 to 3,510 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 554 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,392 to #8,946.
FAQ
Fetter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fetter?
Name Census estimates that about 4,025 living Americans carry the surname Fetter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,156 residents.
How common is Fetter?
Fetter ranks #8,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,510 people with the surname Fetter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Fetter.
Has Fetter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fetter went from 3,944 recorded bearers to 3,510. That is a decrease of 434 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,392 to #8,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Fetter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) 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 Fetter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fetter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), 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 Fetter (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 Fetter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of fetters, chains, or shackles, or a nickname for a prisoner. 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 Fetter (1.17 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 Fetter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.