Find out how popular the last name Ketterer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ketterer.

Ketterer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ketterer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ketterer in America

Ketterer is the 11938th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ketterer surname appeared 2,620 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ketterer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ketterer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ketterer

The surname Ketterer has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Kessel," meaning "cauldron" or "kettle," and likely referred to an occupation involving metalwork or cooking.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart, in the year 1383, where a certain Hans Ketterer was mentioned in a legal document. The name also appeared in various other regions of southern Germany, such as Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, during the late medieval period.

In the 16th century, the surname Ketterer surfaced in some historical records, including a mention of a Peter Ketterer, a Protestant theologian born in Strasbourg in 1535. He was known for his work in the field of education and for his contributions to the Reformation movement.

Another notable figure with this surname was Johann Ketterer, a German composer and organist who lived from 1677 to 1727. He was based in the city of Nuremberg and is remembered for his compositions for the organ and harpsichord.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Ketterer name was Wilhelm Ketterer, a German-American businessman and engineer born in 1827. He immigrated to the United States in the 1850s and became known for his pioneering work in the steel industry, particularly in the development of the Bessemer process.

A more recent example is Katharina Ketterer, a German writer and journalist who was born in 1962. She has published several novels and non-fiction works, exploring themes of identity, family, and modern society.

Variations of the surname Ketterer can be found in different regions, such as Ketterer, Kettner, and Kessler, which all stem from the same root word and occupation. Additionally, some place names in Germany, like Kettersbach and Ketteritzsch, may have originated from this surname or vice versa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ketterer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ketterer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ketterer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ketterer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ketterer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ketterer, please contact us.

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