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

Ketterman, 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 Ketterman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ketterman in America

Ketterman is the 10584th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ketterman surname appeared 3,029 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 Ketterman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ketterman 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 Ketterman

The surname Ketterman has its origins in Germany, with records indicating its presence as early as the 12th century. Derived from the Old German words "ketel" and "man," which translates to "kettle maker" or "kettle person," the name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or worked with kettles.

In the medieval period, surnames were often derived from a person's occupation, physical attributes, or the place they lived. The Ketterman surname falls into the occupational category, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were involved in the production or trade of kettles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ketterman surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval German documents dating back to the 11th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a "Kettelmannus" from the town of Mainz in the year 1185.

As the name spread throughout Germany, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Kettelman, Kettlemann, and Kettelmann. These variations were often due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

Interestingly, the Ketterman surname also appears in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with the surname may have migrated from Germany to England during the Norman Conquest or shortly thereafter.

Notable individuals with the Ketterman surname include Johannes Ketterman (1567-1638), a German clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects. Another prominent figure was Hans Ketterman (1692-1754), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Rhineland region.

In the 19th century, a family of Kettermans from the town of Ulm in southern Germany gained recognition for their contributions to the arts. Wilhelm Ketterman (1815-1892) was a celebrated painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, while his brother, Karl Ketterman (1819-1879), was a respected sculptor whose works adorned several public spaces in Germany.

As time passed, the Ketterman surname spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, carried by waves of immigrants seeking new opportunities. Despite its geographic dispersal, the name has retained its connection to its German roots and the legacy of its original occupational meaning.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ketterman

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

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 Ketterman 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 Ketterman 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 Ketterman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!