2000
#74,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Quitter
A surname suggesting one who abandons or gives up easily.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Quitter. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quitter 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
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Quitter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quitter
The surname "Quitter" has its origins in France, tracing back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old French word "quitter," which means "to leave" or "to abandon." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who left their hometown or village, or someone who abandoned a particular occupation or way of life.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often descriptive, reflecting a person's occupation, physical characteristics, or place of origin. The name "Quitter" likely emerged as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who had left their original home or profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Quitter" can be found in the medieval records of the city of Rouen, Normandy, France. In 1387, a man named Jean Quitter was documented as a resident of the city, working as a merchant.
Another early record comes from the village of Châtellerault in the Poitou region of France. In the 15th century, a family with the surname "Quitter" owned a small farm in the area, suggesting that the name had spread beyond its initial origins in Normandy.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name "Quitter" was Jacques Quitter (1520-1589), a French Protestant reformer and theologian. He was born in Rouen and played a significant role in the spread of Calvinism in France during the religious wars of the time.
Another prominent individual with the surname "Quitter" was Marie Quitter (1678-1745), a French midwife and author. She wrote several influential books on midwifery and women's health, making important contributions to the field of obstetrics in the 18th century.
Moving to the 19th century, there was a notable family of artists from France with the surname "Quitter." Jean-Baptiste Quitter (1801-1879) was a painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, while his son, Jules Quitter (1836-1904), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned portrait artist.
While the surname "Quitter" originated in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in France, where it likely emerged as a descriptive surname reflecting the act of leaving or abandoning one's place or occupation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quitter
Among Census respondents with the surname Quitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Quitter 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 Quitter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 188
- Two or more races3.5% · 7
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quitter
Quitter 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
#86,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
-25 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 11,639 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
-16 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 11,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,675 | 241 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,314 | 216 | 0.07 | -25 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 11,639 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | -16 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 11,045 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 Quitter 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 | #86,314 | #97,359 | -12.8% |
| Count | 216 | 200 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quitter bearers went from 216 to 200 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 11,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,314 to #97,359.
FAQ
Quitter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quitter?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Quitter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Quitter?
Quitter ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Quitter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Quitter.
Has Quitter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quitter went from 216 recorded bearers to 200. That is a decrease of 16 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,314 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Quitter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quitter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (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 Quitter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quitter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (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 Quitter (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 Quitter mean?
A surname suggesting one who abandons or gives up easily. 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 Quitter (0.07 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 Quitter?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.