Find out how popular the last name Witt is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Witt.

Witt, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Witt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Witt in America

Witt is the 1110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Witt surname appeared 31,575 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Witt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Witt to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Witt

The surname WITT is of German origin, derived from the medieval German word "wit" or "wid," meaning "wood" or "forest." This name likely originated in the forested regions of central and southern Germany during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the WITT surname can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records. One notable example is a mention of a "Heinrich Witt" in a land deed from the town of Nürnberg, dated 1284.

The WITT name may also have connections to certain place names in Germany, such as Wittenberg or Wittlich. These locations likely derived their names from the same Germanic root word, indicating their proximity to wooded areas.

In the 14th century, the surname WITT appeared in the Buxheimer Chronik, a historical chronicle from the town of Buxheim in Bavaria. This document mentions a "Hans Witt" who participated in a local conflict in 1347.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the WITT surname include:

1. Christopher Witt (1675-1765), a German-born astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics.

2. Joachim Friedrich Witt (1776-1837), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the Prussian reform movement.

3. Emanuel de Witt (1617-1692), a Dutch statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1653 to 1672.

4. Kaspar Witt (1503-1569), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in the region of Saxony.

5. Cornelis de Witt (1623-1672), a Dutch politician and brother of Emanuel de Witt, who served as the Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1653 until his brutal murder in 1672.

While the WITT surname has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to various parts of Europe and beyond, carried by emigrants and their descendants over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Witt

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Witt.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Witt was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Witt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Witt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Witt, please contact us.

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