2000
#13,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Voth
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "voget," meaning bailiff, advocate, or overseer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,493 Americans carry the last name Voth. That puts it at #13,394 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Voth 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
2.5K
1 in 137,487
Census rank
#13,394
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,174 bearers of the surname Voth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13394th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Voth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Voth
The surname Voth originates from Germany, specifically the state of Bavaria, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Old German word "fot," meaning foot or feet. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for individuals who worked as foot soldiers, messengers, or travelers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Voth surname can be found in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria, in a church registry from 1562. The entry mentions a certain Hans Voth, a local resident. Over the following centuries, the name appeared in various historical documents across Bavaria and neighboring regions.
In the 17th century, there are records of a prominent Voth family residing in the town of Nürnberg. Among them was Johann Voth (1592-1657), a respected merchant and guild member. Another notable individual was Maria Voth (1625-1701), a renowned midwife and herbalist who practiced in the city of Regensburg.
As the Voth family spread across Germany, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Voht, Foht, and Foth. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in historical documents.
In the 19th century, the Voth surname made its way to North America, with many German immigrants settling in various parts of the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was Jakob Voth (1815-1891), a Mennonite farmer and community leader who established a settlement in Kansas.
Another significant individual was Anna Voth (1877-1958), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Canada. She played a crucial role in establishing several schools and promoting educational opportunities for girls in rural communities.
Throughout its history, the Voth surname has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from artisans and merchants to religious leaders and educators. While the name may have originated from a specific occupation, it has since transcended its humble beginnings and become a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames found across the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Voth
Among Census respondents with the surname Voth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Voth 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 Voth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,014
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 64
- Two or more races2.6% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Voth
Voth 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
#13,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
+65 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 614 places
2020
#13,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,273 | 2,109 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,887 | 2,174 | 0.74 | +65 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 614 places |
| 2020 | #13,394 | 2,174 | 0.73 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 493 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 Voth 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 | #13,887 | #13,394 | 3.6% |
| Count | 2,174 | 2,174 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.73 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Voth bearers went from 2,174 to 2,174 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 493 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,887 to #13,394.
FAQ
Voth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Voth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,493 living Americans carry the surname Voth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,487 residents.
How common is Voth?
Voth ranks #13,394 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,174 people with the surname Voth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Voth.
Has Voth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Voth went from 2,174 recorded bearers to 2,174. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,887 to #13,394.
What does the Census say about the background of Voth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Voth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Voth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Voth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Voth (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 Voth mean?
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "voget," meaning bailiff, advocate, or overseer. 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 Voth (0.73 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 Voth?
See how common the surname Voth is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.