2000
#6,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,513
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Wachter
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, guard, or lookout.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,741 Americans carry the last name Wachter. That puts it at #7,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wachter 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
4.7K
1 in 72,296
Census rank
#7,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,134 bearers of the surname Wachter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wachter
The surname Wachter originated in Germany during the medieval period, derived from the Middle High German word "wahter," which means "watchman" or "guard." This occupation-based surname was given to individuals who served as sentries, night watchmen, or guards, typically employed by towns, cities, or noble households.
The earliest known record of the surname Wachter dates back to the 13th century, appearing in various historical documents and manuscripts from regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. One notable mention is found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus" from 1249, where a certain "Conradus Wachter" is listed as a witness to a legal transaction.
In the 14th century, the surname gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several members of the Wachter family were recorded as influential citizens and merchants. One of the most notable figures was Hans Wachter (1438-1512), a successful businessman and member of the city council.
The Wachter surname was also associated with various place names, such as Wachtersbach in Hesse and Wachterberg in Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely derived from individuals who held the occupation of watchman or guard in those locations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals bore the surname Wachter. Among them were Johannes Wachter (1598-1657), a German theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen; Johann Friedrich Wachter (1635-1697), a German philologist and author of the influential "Glossarium Germanicum"; and Carl Gottlob Wachter (1762-1838), a German jurist and legal scholar.
In the 19th century, the Wachter family produced several accomplished artists and musicians, including Johann Martin Wachter (1800-1873), a German painter known for his landscapes and historical scenes, and Theodor Wachter (1823-1893), a German composer and conductor who served as the director of the Leipzig Conservatory of Music.
Another notable figure was Maximilian Wachter (1860-1928), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, who played a significant role in the development of social welfare policies in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wachter
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wachter 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 Wachter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 3,879
- Two or more races2.8% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wachter
Wachter 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
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,601
+88 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#7,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,134
-467 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 471 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,866 | 4,513 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,247 | 4,601 | 1.56 | +88 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #7,718 | 4,134 | 1.38 | -467 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 471 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 Wachter 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 | #7,247 | #7,718 | -6.5% |
| Count | 4,601 | 4,134 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.38 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wachter bearers went from 4,601 to 4,134 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 471 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,247 to #7,718.
FAQ
Wachter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wachter?
Name Census estimates that about 4,741 living Americans carry the surname Wachter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,296 residents.
How common is Wachter?
Wachter ranks #7,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,134 people with the surname Wachter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,741), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Wachter.
Has Wachter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wachter went from 4,601 recorded bearers to 4,134. That is a decrease of 467 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,247 to #7,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Wachter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) 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 Wachter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (3,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wachter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), 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 Wachter (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 Wachter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, guard, or lookout. 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 Wachter (1.38 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 share the surname Wachter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.