2000
#5,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Witmer
Derived from the Middle High German word "witemer," referring to a forest keeper or game warden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,162 Americans carry the last name Witmer. That puts it at #5,393 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witmer 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
7.2K
1 in 47,857
Census rank
#5,393
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,246 bearers of the surname Witmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5393rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witmer
The surname WITMER is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "witu" meaning "wood" or "forest". It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the Black Forest, during the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WITMER surname can be found in a document dated 1304, which mentions a Hans Witmer from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau. This region was known for its extensive woodlands, and it is likely that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who lived or worked in forested areas.
The WITMER surname can also be traced back to the town of Wittmund in Lower Saxony, Germany. Historical records from the 16th century mention several families with variations of the name, such as Witmund, Witmund, and Witmunder, residing in this area.
In the 17th century, the WITMER surname appeared in various church records and tax rolls throughout Germany, with variations in spelling such as Wittmer, Wittmyer, and Wittmair. One notable individual from this period was Johannes Wittmer, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, born in 1620.
As the WITMER family spread throughout Europe, the surname made its way to other countries, including Switzerland and the Netherlands. In the late 18th century, a Swiss immigrant named Jakob Witmer settled in Pennsylvania, USA, bringing the name to the New World.
Other notable individuals with the WITMER surname include:
1. Johann Georg Witmer (1751-1823), a German-American clockmaker who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century.
2. Charles Witmer (1843-1916), an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
3. Marguerite Witmer (1889-1983), an American psychologist and pioneer in the field of clinical psychology.
4. Ralph Witmer (1932-2018), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Witmer Associates consulting firm.
5. James Witmer (born 1961), an American actor known for his roles in television shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "NYPD Blue".
The WITMER surname has a rich history rooted in the forested regions of southern Germany, and its various spellings and spellings reflect the migration patterns of families bearing this name across Europe and eventually to the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Witmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Witmer 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 Witmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 5,847
- Two or more races2.7% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
- Black or African American0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witmer
Witmer 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
#5,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,461
+417 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#5,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,246
-215 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,303 | 6,044 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,386 | 6,461 | 2.19 | +417 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #5,393 | 6,246 | 2.09 | -215 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 7 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 Witmer 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 | #5,386 | #5,393 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,461 | 6,246 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.09 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witmer bearers went from 6,461 to 6,246 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,386 to #5,393.
FAQ
Witmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witmer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,162 living Americans carry the surname Witmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,857 residents.
How common is Witmer?
Witmer ranks #5,393 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 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 6,246 people with the surname Witmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 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 Witmer.
Has Witmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witmer went from 6,461 recorded bearers to 6,246. That is a decrease of 215 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,386 to #5,393.
What does the Census say about the background of Witmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Witmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (5,847 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Witmer (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 Witmer mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "witemer," referring to a forest keeper or game warden. 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 Witmer (2.09 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 surname Witmer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.