2000
#10,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,900
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Hutter
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a hatmaker or hatter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,942 Americans carry the last name Hutter. That puts it at #11,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hutter 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 Hutter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,504
Census rank
#11,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,566 bearers of the surname Hutter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hutter
The surname Hutter is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hutter can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiasticarum, a medieval manuscript compiled in the 8th century, where a person named "Hutarius" is mentioned in connection with a land transaction. This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have derived from the Old High German word "huoten," meaning "to guard" or "to protect."
During the 13th century, the surname Hutter began appearing more frequently in various records and documents across southern Germany. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493, which includes a reference to a "Hans Hutter" who was a respected merchant and landowner in the city of Augsburg.
The name Hutter is also associated with several place names, such as Huttenheim and Hüttisheim, both small towns in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names likely contributed to the evolution and spread of the surname in the region.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Hutter have made significant contributions in various fields. One of the earliest recorded was Johann Hutter (1492-1537), a German theologian and leader of the Hutterite Anabaptist movement, which established numerous communal settlements across Europe.
Another notable figure was Leonhard Hutter (1563-1616), a German philosopher and mathematician who made important contributions to the field of logic and is known for his work on the "Hutter Paradox," a philosophical puzzle related to infinity.
In the realm of art, Johann Baptist Hutter (1743-1808) was a German painter and etcher known for his portraits and landscapes, while Johann Jakob Hutter (1749-1827) was a Swiss architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings and bridges in Switzerland.
Additionally, Philipp Hutter (1763-1841), a German composer and organist, was renowned for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to sacred music during the Classical period.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Hutter who have left their mark on various aspects of history, from theology and philosophy to art and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hutter
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hutter 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 Hutter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,369
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 86
- Two or more races2.5% · 63
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hutter
Hutter 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
#11,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,855
-45 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 908 places
2020
#11,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,566
-289 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 575 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,203 | 2,900 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,111 | 2,855 | 0.97 | -45 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 908 places |
| 2020 | #11,686 | 2,566 | 0.86 | -289 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 575 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 Hutter 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 | #11,111 | #11,686 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,855 | 2,566 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.86 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hutter bearers went from 2,855 to 2,566 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 575 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,111 to #11,686.
FAQ
Hutter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hutter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,942 living Americans carry the surname Hutter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,504 residents.
How common is Hutter?
Hutter ranks #11,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,566 people with the surname Hutter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Hutter.
Has Hutter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hutter went from 2,855 recorded bearers to 2,566. That is a decrease of 289 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,111 to #11,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Hutter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hutter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hutter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hutter (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 Hutter mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a hatmaker or hatter. 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 Hutter (0.86 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 Hutter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.