2000
#10,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Suiter
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of suits, clothing, or livery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,995 Americans carry the last name Suiter. That puts it at #11,523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suiter 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
3.0K
1 in 114,442
Census rank
#11,523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,612 bearers of the surname Suiter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suiter
The surname Suiter is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "suitere," which referred to a person who was a follower or retainer. This occupational name likely referred to someone who attended upon or followed a lord or nobleman.
One of the earliest known records of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Simon le Suytour." This suggests the name was already established in England by the 13th century.
The Suiter surname is also closely linked to the village of Sutor, located in Somerset, England. It is believed that the name may have originally referred to someone from this place, with the spelling later evolving to Suiter.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms in historical records, such as "Suytour," "Suytere," and "Suytoure." This reflects the variations in spelling that were common during this time period.
One notable figure bearing the Suiter surname was John Suiter, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in London in the late 15th century. Records indicate he was involved in the wool trade and owned property in several parishes.
Another historical figure was Richard Suiter, born in 1587 in Gloucestershire. He was a member of the English gentry and served as a Justice of the Peace in his county.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was William Suiter, who arrived in Boston in 1635 from England.
The Suiter surname also has a connection to Scotland, where it may have been derived from the Gaelic word "siuthair," meaning "follower" or "attendant." This suggests a potential Scottish origin or influence on the name.
In the 19th century, notable individuals with the Suiter surname include James Suiter (1802-1871), an English politician and member of parliament, and John Suiter (1826-1894), an American Civil War veteran and politician from Indiana.
Throughout its history, the Suiter surname has maintained its connections to its occupational roots, reflecting the lives of those who followed or attended upon others in various capacities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suiter
Among Census respondents with the surname Suiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Suiter 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 Suiter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 2,279
- Black or African American5.7% · 149
- Two or more races3.3% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suiter
Suiter 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
#10,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,929
+169 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#11,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,612
-317 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 641 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,643 | 2,760 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,882 | 2,929 | 0.99 | +169 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #11,523 | 2,612 | 0.87 | -317 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 641 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 Suiter 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 | #10,882 | #11,523 | -5.9% |
| Count | 2,929 | 2,612 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.87 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suiter bearers went from 2,929 to 2,612 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 641 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,882 to #11,523.
FAQ
Suiter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suiter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,995 living Americans carry the surname Suiter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,442 residents.
How common is Suiter?
Suiter ranks #11,523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,612 people with the surname Suiter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,995), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Suiter.
Has Suiter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suiter went from 2,929 recorded bearers to 2,612. That is a decrease of 317 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,882 to #11,523.
What does the Census say about the background of Suiter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Suiter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (2,279 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suiter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Suiter (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 Suiter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of suits, clothing, or livery. 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 Suiter (0.87 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 Suiter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.