2000
#6,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Witcher
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of candles, or a person who hunts animals for food.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,695 Americans carry the last name Witcher. That puts it at #6,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witcher 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Witcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,185
Census rank
#6,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,966 bearers of the surname Witcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witcher
The surname WITCHER has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wicce," meaning "witch" or "sorcerer." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone involved in witchcraft or magical practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, which mention a Richard le Wiccher. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire from 1221, referring to a Reginald le Wyccher.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Wyccher, Wychcher, and Wichcher, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spellings at the time. Some early bearers of the name include John Wyccher, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, and William Wyccher, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The name WITCHER may have also been associated with certain occupations or trades related to witchcraft or sorcery. In some regions, it could have been used to refer to individuals who practiced traditional folk magic or herbalism.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname include Sir John Witcher (1516-1585), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was William Witcher (1642-1720), a prominent Quaker minister and writer from Northamptonshire.
In the 17th century, the name can be found in various records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire from 1673, which list a Thomas Witcher. The Parish Registers of Gloucestershire from 1685 also mention a William Witcher.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname had spread to other parts of England and Wales, as well as to North America through emigration. Some notable bearers of the name during this period include John Witcher (1771-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy, and George Witcher (1804-1878), an English-born settler in Australia who became a prominent landowner and politician in Victoria.
Throughout its history, the surname WITCHER has maintained a strong association with its Old English roots and the concept of witchcraft or magical practices, although its meaning and connotations may have evolved over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Witcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Witcher 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 Witcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.2% · 2,494
- Black or African American40.4% · 2,007
- Two or more races5.4% · 269
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witcher
Witcher 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
#6,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,275
+306 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#6,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,966
-309 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,312 | 4,969 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,437 | 5,275 | 1.79 | +306 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #6,555 | 4,966 | 1.66 | -309 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 118 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 Witcher 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 | #6,437 | #6,555 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,275 | 4,966 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.66 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witcher bearers went from 5,275 to 4,966 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,437 to #6,555.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Witcher
FAQ
Witcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witcher?
Name Census estimates that about 5,695 living Americans carry the surname Witcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,185 residents.
How common is Witcher?
Witcher ranks #6,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 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 4,966 people with the surname Witcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,695), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 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 Witcher.
Has Witcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witcher went from 5,275 recorded bearers to 4,966. That is a decrease of 309 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,437 to #6,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Witcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Witcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (2,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.2%), Black (40.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Witcher (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 Witcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of candles, or a person who hunts animals for food. 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 Witcher (1.66 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 Witcher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.