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

Rotter, 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 Rotter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rotter in America

Rotter is the 14160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rotter surname appeared 2,121 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 Rotter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rotter 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 Rotter

The surname Rotter is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "rotær," which translates to "a person who clears land or clears away obstructions." This occupational surname was likely given to those who worked as land clearers or foresters, contributing to the development of new settlements and agricultural lands.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Rotter can be found in various German regional records and chronicles from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable early reference is in the Würzburg Codex, a collection of legal documents from the city of Würzburg, where a certain "Heinrich Rotter" is mentioned in an entry dated 1287.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a renowned illustrated world history published in 1493. Here, a "Hans Rotter" is listed among the citizens of the city of Nuremberg.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Rötter, Roetter, and Rödter. These variations often reflected regional linguistic differences and dialects.

Notable individuals with the surname Rotter include:

1. Johann Rotter (c. 1540-1617), a German theologian and author of several religious works.
2. Wilhelm Rotter (1801-1871), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Hans Rotter (1858-1926), a Swiss architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Zurich.
4. Juliane Rotter (1883-1964), a German novelist and children's book author.
5. Karl Rotter (1891-1968), an Austrian engineer and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of the rotary engine.

As the centuries passed, the Rotter surname spread beyond German-speaking regions, carried by emigrants and settlers to various parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas and other continents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rotter

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

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

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

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