2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kautter
A surname derived from the German word "Kautzer," referring to a vendor or peddler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Kautter. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kautter 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Kautter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kautter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kautter
The surname Kautter is of German origin, first appearing in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kautir," which means "buyer" or "merchant." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in trade or commerce.
The name Kautter was initially concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It later spread to other parts of the country and eventually to neighboring European countries as people migrated.
Historical records reveal that the Kautter name appeared in various medieval documents, such as tax rolls and property deeds. One of the earliest known mentions dates back to 1292, when a certain Henricus Kautter was recorded as a landowner in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria.
In the 14th century, the name Kautter was found in the Codex Manesse, a renowned collection of medieval German poetry and illustrations. This suggests that members of the Kautter family may have been patrons of the arts or held positions of influence during that time.
Notable individuals who bore the Kautter surname include Johann Kautter (1535-1612), a prominent Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen. Another notable figure was Christoph Kautter (1670-1741), a Baroque architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Mannheim.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kautter name was also associated with the village of Kautern (now known as Kautern bei Bingen) in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This place name likely shared the same linguistic roots as the surname.
Among other notable individuals with the Kautter surname were Katharina Kautter (1810-1892), a renowned German painter and portraitist, and Wilhelm Kautter (1867-1923), a German businessman and philanthropist who founded the Kautter Foundation for the promotion of education and social welfare.
Overall, the surname Kautter has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, where it was closely associated with trades, professions, and even artistic and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kautter
Among Census respondents with the surname Kautter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kautter 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 Kautter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kautter
Kautter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 2,650 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 Kautter 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 | #151,532 | #154,182 | -1.7% |
| Count | 108 | 103 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kautter bearers went from 108 to 103 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 2,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,182.
FAQ
Kautter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kautter?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Kautter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Kautter?
Kautter ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Kautter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kautter.
Has Kautter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kautter went from 108 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kautter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kautter, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kautter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kautter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kautter (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 Kautter mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Kautzer," referring to a vendor or peddler. 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 Kautter (0.03 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 share the surname Kautter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.