Shetter last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Shetter

A variant spelling of the German surname Schetter, likely derived from a nickname for someone with a quick temper or who talked rapidly.

Shetter, 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 Shetter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shetter in America

Shetter is the 38332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shetter surname appeared 578 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shetter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shetter 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank38332378351.31%
Count5785524.60%
Proportion per 100k0.200.200.00%

The history of the last name Shetter

The surname Shetter is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages or earlier. It is derived from the German word "Schatt," which means "shadow" or "shade." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived in a shaded or forested area.

The earliest known records of the Shetter surname date back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances is from a manuscript from 1289, which mentions a person named "Hermannus Schetter" in the town of Augsburg.

In the late 15th century, the name appeared in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, with a reference to a "Hans Shetter" who was a merchant and guild member in 1487.

During the 16th century, the surname spread to other parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. In 1532, a record from the town of Erfurt mentioned a "Peter Shetter," who was a local landowner.

One notable figure with the Shetter surname was Johann Shetter (1566-1628), a German theologian and author from Nuremberg. He wrote several scholarly works on religious topics and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

Another significant individual was Georg Shetter (1638-1704), a German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in the city of Dresden, including the Zwinger Palace and the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).

In the 18th century, the Shetter surname found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. A Swiss family named Shetter is recorded as having lived in the canton of Bern during this period.

One of the earliest known instances of the Shetter surname in North America dates back to the late 18th century, when a German immigrant named Johannes Shetter settled in Pennsylvania in the United States. He and his descendants played a role in the early development of the region.

Other notable individuals with the Shetter surname throughout history include Wilhelm Shetter (1845-1920), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the late 19th century, and Anna Shetter (1876-1958), a Swiss artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shetter

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

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 Shetter was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.46%546
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.56%9
Hispanic Origin2.60%15

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 Shetter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.46%96.56%-2.20%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%0.91%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races1.56%0.91%52.63%
Hispanic2.60%0.91%96.30%

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

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

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