2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Quittner
A surname derived from the German word "quitten" meaning "to leave or abandon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Quittner. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quittner 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Quittner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quittner
The surname Quittner originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "quittner," which means "quitter" or "one who quits." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who had a tendency to quit or abandon tasks or responsibilities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quittner can be found in the town records of Wittenberg, Germany, dating back to the 15th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, where it may have first emerged.
In the 16th century, the name Quittner can be found in various historical documents, including the tax records of the city of Leipzig. These records mention individuals with the surname Quittner who were engaged in various occupations, such as merchants and artisans.
One notable individual with the surname Quittner was Johann Quittner, a German composer and organist who lived from 1638 to 1704. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the baroque organ repertoire and served as the organist at the Marienkirche in Halle, Germany.
Another historical figure with the surname Quittner was Karl Quittner, a German writer and journalist born in 1811. He was a prominent figure in the German literary scene of the 19th century and published several novels and plays.
In the late 19th century, the name Quittner appeared in various emigration records, indicating that individuals with this surname left Germany and settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Gustav Quittner, a German immigrant who arrived in the United States in the 1880s and established a successful business in the city of Philadelphia.
The surname Quittner can also be found in historical records from other regions, such as Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that the name may have spread beyond its German origins. One notable Austrian with the surname Quittner was Erwin Quittner, a renowned architect who lived from 1876 to 1958 and designed several iconic buildings in Vienna.
While the surname Quittner has its roots in Germany, it has since become a part of the cultural fabric of various countries and communities around the world, reflecting the global reach and diversity of human migration and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quittner
Among Census respondents with the surname Quittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Quittner 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 Quittner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quittner
Quittner 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 2,750 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 Quittner 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 | #158,432 | #155,682 | 1.7% |
| Count | 102 | 100 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quittner bearers went from 102 to 100 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 2,750 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #155,682.
FAQ
Quittner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quittner?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Quittner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Quittner?
Quittner ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Quittner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Quittner.
Has Quittner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quittner went from 102 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 2 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Quittner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Quittner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quittner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Quittner (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 Quittner mean?
A surname derived from the German word "quitten" meaning "to leave or abandon". 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 Quittner (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 Americans have the surname Quittner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.