2000
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Teeters
One who unsteadily or precariously balances or sways from side to side, as if about to fall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,089 Americans carry the last name Teeters. That puts it at #11,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teeters 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
3.1K
1 in 110,960
Census rank
#11,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,694 bearers of the surname Teeters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teeters
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Teeters 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 Teeters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,492
- Two or more races3.3% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 60
- Black or African American1.1% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teeters
Teeters 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
#10,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,985
+165 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#11,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,694
-291 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,453 | 2,820 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,706 | 2,985 | 1.01 | +165 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #11,223 | 2,694 | 0.90 | -291 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 517 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 Teeters 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 | #10,706 | #11,223 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,985 | 2,694 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.90 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teeters bearers went from 2,985 to 2,694 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,706 to #11,223.
FAQ
Teeters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teeters?
Name Census estimates that about 3,089 living Americans carry the surname Teeters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,960 residents.
How common is Teeters?
Teeters ranks #11,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,694 people with the surname Teeters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Teeters.
Has Teeters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teeters went from 2,985 recorded bearers to 2,694. That is a decrease of 291 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,706 to #11,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Teeters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Teeters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,492 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teeters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Teeters (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 Teeters mean?
One who unsteadily or precariously balances or sways from side to side, as if about to fall. 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 Teeters (0.90 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 Teeters?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.