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

Teeters, 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 Teeters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Teeters in America

Teeters is the 10706th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Teeters surname appeared 2,985 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Teeters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Teeters 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 Teeters

The surname Teeters is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tetor," which translates to "one who sways or totters." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone who had an unsteady gait or a tendency to sway or wobble while walking.

During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or personal traits. In the case of Teeters, it is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname, which later became adopted as a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Teeters can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from the year 1327. This document mentions a man named Robert le Tetour, which is a variation of the same root word.

Another notable early reference to the name comes from the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1384, where a John Teter is listed as a taxpayer. This spelling variation further reinforces the connection to the Old English word "tetor."

As the centuries passed, the name took on various spellings, including Teter, Teeter, and eventually the modern form, Teeters. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Teeters spelling can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a John Teeters was baptized in 1611.

Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Teeters throughout history are:

1. Thomas Teeters (1774-1853), an early pioneer and settler in Ohio, USA, who established the town of Teetersville.
2. Wilbur Fisk Teeters (1846-1927), an American educator and clergyman who served as the president of Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.
3. John Teeters (1851-1920), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
4. Edith Teeters (1901-1996), an American economist and the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois.
5. William Teeters (1907-1987), an American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Oregon.

While the surname Teeters may have humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname, it has endured through the centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including pioneers, educators, politicians, economists, and jurists.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Teeters

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

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

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

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