2000
#5,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Teeter
An English occupational surname referring to a seesaw or tightrope walker, derived from the Old English word "tealtrian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,375 Americans carry the last name Teeter. That puts it at #5,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teeter 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
6.4K
1 in 53,765
Census rank
#5,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,559 bearers of the surname Teeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teeter
The surname "TEETER" is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "teteren," which means "to totter" or "to stagger." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with an unsteady gait or a tendency to stumble.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten" (Genealogical Tables of European States), a historical document compiled in the late 19th century. It mentions a Johannes Teeter, who lived in the town of Nürnberg in the early 1400s.
The name also appears in several other ancient records, including the "Annalen von Regensburg" (Annals of Regensburg), which mentions a Gertrud Teeter from the year 1497. Additionally, the "Chronik der Stadt Augsburg" (Chronicle of the City of Augsburg) references a Hans Teeter, a merchant who lived in the city during the late 15th century.
As the Teeter family spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Teter," "Tetter," and "Tether." Some of these variations might have been influenced by the local dialects or the transcription practices of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname "TEETER" throughout history include:
1. Wilhelm Teeter (1568-1632), a German theologian and author of several religious texts.
2. Anna Teeter (1623-1701), a German midwife and herbalist renowned for her knowledge of traditional medicine.
3. Johann Teeter (1712-1789), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Rhineland region.
4. Friedrich Teeter (1821-1898), a German industrialist and founder of the Teeter Metalworks in Essen.
5. Greta Teeter (1879-1964), a German artist known for her landscapes and portraits of rural life.
While the surname "TEETER" originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond as families migrated and settled in new regions. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, reflecting a rich history that spans centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Teeter 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 Teeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 5,038
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 211
- Two or more races3.0% · 167
- Black or African American1.8% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teeter
Teeter 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
#5,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,892
+242 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 224 places
2020
#5,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,559
-333 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,635 | 5,650 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,859 | 5,892 | 2.00 | +242 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 224 places |
| 2020 | #5,964 | 5,559 | 1.86 | -333 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 105 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 Teeter 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 | #5,859 | #5,964 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,892 | 5,559 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.86 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teeter bearers went from 5,892 to 5,559 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,859 to #5,964.
FAQ
Teeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teeter?
Name Census estimates that about 6,375 living Americans carry the surname Teeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,765 residents.
How common is Teeter?
Teeter ranks #5,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,559 people with the surname Teeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Teeter.
Has Teeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teeter went from 5,892 recorded bearers to 5,559. That is a decrease of 333 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,859 to #5,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Teeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Teeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (5,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Teeter (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 Teeter mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a seesaw or tightrope walker, derived from the Old English word "tealtrian." 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 Teeter (1.86 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 last name Teeter?
See how many people have the surname Teeter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.