2000
#9,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Geter
One who herds or keeps goats, derived from the Old English "gat" meaning goat and "hierde" meaning herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,731 Americans carry the last name Geter. That puts it at #9,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geter 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
3.7K
1 in 91,867
Census rank
#9,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,254 bearers of the surname Geter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.3%. The next largest groups are White (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geter
The surname "GETER" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "gete" or "gat," which means "goat." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as an occupational name for someone who tended goats or was associated with the goat farming industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where a person named Robert le Geter was mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use during the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Geter," "Getter," and "Gatter," reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period. One notable bearer of this name was John Geter, a landowner in Suffolk, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
The Geter surname continued to be found in various regions of England throughout the subsequent centuries. In the 16th century, a record from the Parish Registers of Nottinghamshire mentions a William Geter who was born in 1542.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Geter surname in America was John Geter, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He is believed to have been one of the first settlers in the colony and likely came from England.
Notable individuals with the surname Geter include:
1. William Geter (1592-1658), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
2. John Geter (1725-1799), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War.
3. Elizabeth Geter (1780-1862), an English author and poet known for her romantic novels.
4. Samuel Geter (1842-1910), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Geter Charitable Foundation.
5. Mary Geter (1892-1974), an American civil rights activist and educator who fought for equal rights and better educational opportunities for African Americans.
While the Geter surname may have originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established surname with bearers found throughout various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geter
Among Census respondents with the surname Geter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.3%. The next largest groups are White (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Geter 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 Geter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.3% · 2,482
- White15.6% · 508
- Two or more races4.5% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geter
Geter 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
#9,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,449
+249 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#9,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,254
-195 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,346 | 3,200 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,431 | 3,449 | 1.17 | +249 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #9,554 | 3,254 | 1.09 | -195 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 123 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 Geter 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 | #9,431 | #9,554 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,449 | 3,254 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.09 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geter bearers went from 3,449 to 3,254 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,431 to #9,554.
FAQ
Geter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,731 living Americans carry the surname Geter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,867 residents.
How common is Geter?
Geter ranks #9,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,254 people with the surname Geter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,731), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Geter.
Has Geter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geter went from 3,449 recorded bearers to 3,254. That is a decrease of 195 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,431 to #9,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Geter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.3%. The next largest groups are White (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Geter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (2,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (76.3%), White (15.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Geter (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 Geter mean?
One who herds or keeps goats, derived from the Old English "gat" meaning goat and "hierde" meaning herdsman. 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 Geter (1.09 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 are called Geter?
You can see how many people have the surname Geter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.