2000
#2,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.16
Uncommon Last name
Switzer
A Swiss person or someone from Switzerland, derived from the Middle High German word "Switzer" meaning "Swiss".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,554 Americans carry the last name Switzer. That puts it at #3,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,302 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Switzer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Switzer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,302
Census rank
#3,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,948 bearers of the surname Switzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Switzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Switzer
The surname Switzer originated in Switzerland during the late Middle Ages. It derives from the French word "Suisse", meaning "Swiss", and was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who hailed from Switzerland or the surrounding Swiss regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Switzer, a merchant from Zurich who was recorded in historical documents dating back to the early 15th century. The name also appears in various medieval records from other Swiss cantons, such as Bern and Lucerne.
As people began migrating from Switzerland to other parts of Europe and beyond, the surname Switzer traveled with them. In England, the name can be traced back to the late 16th century, when Swiss mercenaries and artisans began settling in various cities and towns.
One notable early bearer of the name in England was John Switzer, a renowned landscape gardener and writer who lived from 1637 to 1718. His work, "Ichnographia Rustica", published in 1718, was an influential treatise on garden design and horticulture.
Another prominent figure was Samuel Switzer, a poet and dramatist born in 1675. He is best known for his play "The Faithful Husband", which was performed at the Theatre Royal in London in 1704.
In the United States, the Switzer name can be traced back to the 18th century, when Swiss immigrants began arriving in significant numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Switzer, who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1730s.
During the 19th century, the surname Switzer was well-represented among Swiss immigrants who settled in various parts of the country. Notable bearers of the name include Jacob Switzer, a pioneer farmer in Ohio who was born in 1792, and John Switzer, a prominent lawyer and politician in Missouri, born in 1823.
Throughout its history, the surname Switzer has been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Schweitzer, Schwitzer, and Switzler, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the regions where it was found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Switzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Switzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Switzer 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 Switzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 9,672
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 407
- Two or more races3.5% · 380
- Black or African American3.2% · 349
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Switzer
Switzer 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
#3,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,114
-97 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 295 places
2020
#3,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,948
-166 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,953 | 11,211 | 4.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,248 | 11,114 | 3.77 | -97 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 295 places |
| 2020 | #3,216 | 10,948 | 3.66 | -166 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 32 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 Switzer 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 | #3,248 | #3,216 | 1.0% |
| Count | 11,114 | 10,948 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.77 | 3.66 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Switzer bearers went from 11,114 to 10,948 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,248 to #3,216.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Switzer
FAQ
Switzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Switzer?
Name Census estimates that about 12,554 living Americans carry the surname Switzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,302 residents.
How common is Switzer?
Switzer ranks #3,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,948 people with the surname Switzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Switzer.
Has Switzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Switzer went from 11,114 recorded bearers to 10,948. That is a decrease of 166 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,248 to #3,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Switzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Switzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Switzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (9,672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Switzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Switzer (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 Switzer mean?
A Swiss person or someone from Switzerland, derived from the Middle High German word "Switzer" meaning "Swiss". 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 Switzer (3.66 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 people have the surname Switzer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.