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

Sutter, 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 Sutter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sutter in America

Sutter is the 3640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sutter surname appeared 9,760 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sutter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sutter 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 Sutter

The surname Sutter originated in Germany and Switzerland, derived from the Middle High German word "suter" or "suter," meaning "shoemaker" or "cobbler." It first emerged in the 13th century, primarily in the southern regions of Germany and the northern parts of Switzerland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sutter can be found in the town records of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, from the year 1290, where a certain Johannes Suter is mentioned. This suggests that the name was well-established in that region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name Sutter appeared in various German towns and cities, such as Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Cologne. It was often associated with the shoemaking trade and was commonly found among artisans and craftsmen.

The Sutter family played a significant role in the history of California during the 19th century. Johann August Sutter, born in 1803 in Baden, Germany, was a Swiss-German settler who established Sutter's Fort in the Sacramento Valley. He was a prominent figure in the early days of California and played a crucial role in the events leading up to the California Gold Rush.

Another notable Sutter was Hermann Sutter, a Swiss architect born in 1925. He was renowned for his work in concrete construction and was responsible for designing several landmark buildings, including the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.

In the realm of sports, Bruce Sutter, born in 1953 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was a professional baseball player who achieved fame as a relief pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, recognizing his exceptional career in Major League Baseball.

The name Sutter has also been associated with various place names, such as Sutter Creek in California, named after John Sutter, and Sutter County, also in California, established in 1850 and named in honor of Johann August Sutter.

Throughout history, the surname Sutter has been recorded with various spellings, including Suter, Sutor, and Schuster, all referring to the same occupation of shoemaking or cobbling. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic differences within the German-speaking areas where the name originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sutter

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

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

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

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