2000
#7,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Halter
An occupational surname referring to one who makes or sells halters for horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,608 Americans carry the last name Halter. That puts it at #7,923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Halter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Halter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,382
Census rank
#7,923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,018 bearers of the surname Halter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Halter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Halter
The surname HALTER is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "halter," which means "keeper" or "holder." This name likely originated among those who worked as stable hands or grooms, responsible for tending to horses and their equipment.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname HALTER can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In these regions, the name was initially spelled as "Halter" or variations like "Halter" or "Halther."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Halter, a farmer from the village of Eberbach in the Rhineland region, mentioned in tax records from the year 1381. Another notable early record is that of Hans Halter, a blacksmith from Nuremberg, whose name appears in guild records from 1423.
The name HALTER can also be found in some historical manuscripts and chronicles from the 15th and 16th centuries. For instance, the Nuremberg Chronicle, a world history published in 1493, mentions a certain Konrad Halter, a merchant from Augsburg.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it also took on various localized spellings and variations, such as "Halter," "Halther," "Halderen," and "Halderen." Some of these variations were influenced by the local dialects or were adaptations made by scribes and record keepers.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname HALTER. These include:
1. Johann Halter (1585-1638), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
2. Hans Halter (1605-1672), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer from Basel.
3. Maria Halter (1684-1741), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg, renowned for her religious artwork.
4. Johann Christoph Halter (1723-1789), a German architect and builder from Saxony, known for his work on several churches and castles in the region.
5. Wilhelm Halter (1835-1901), a German-American entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Halter Ironworks in St. Louis, Missouri.
While the surname HALTER is not among the most common surnames today, it has left a lasting mark on history, particularly in German-speaking regions, where it has been associated with various professions and notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halter
Among Census respondents with the surname Halter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Halter 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 Halter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,760
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 105
- Two or more races2.3% · 92
- Black or African American0.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Halter
Halter 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
#7,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,349
+164 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#7,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,018
-331 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 290 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,333 | 4,185 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,633 | 4,349 | 1.47 | +164 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #7,923 | 4,018 | 1.34 | -331 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 290 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 Halter 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 | #7,633 | #7,923 | -3.8% |
| Count | 4,349 | 4,018 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.34 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Halter bearers went from 4,349 to 4,018 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 290 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,633 to #7,923.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Halter
FAQ
Halter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Halter?
Name Census estimates that about 4,608 living Americans carry the surname Halter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,382 residents.
How common is Halter?
Halter ranks #7,923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,018 people with the surname Halter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,608), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Halter.
Has Halter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Halter went from 4,349 recorded bearers to 4,018. That is a decrease of 331 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,633 to #7,923.
What does the Census say about the background of Halter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Halter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Halter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Halter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Halter (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 Halter mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who makes or sells halters for horses. 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 Halter (1.34 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 Halter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.