2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wittcop
A variant spelling of the German surname Wittkopp, meaning "white head" or "person with a white head of hair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Wittcop. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittcop 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Wittcop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittcop, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittcop
The surname Wittcop has its origins in Germany, likely emerging from the regions of Lower Saxony or Westphalia. The earliest mentions of this name are believed to be from the medieval period, possibly the 12th or 13th century when surnames first began to stabilize in these areas.
The name Wittcop is derived from two Old Germanic elements: "witt" or "wit," meaning "white," and "cop," which is related to "kopf," meaning "head." Therefore, Wittcop could be roughly translated to "white head." This might refer to an individual with notably light-colored hair or even an older person with a white or gray head of hair.
The earliest recorded examples of this surname can be found in various medieval manuscripts and tax records from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname is Heinrich Wittcop, who was cited in a civic record from Bremen in 1297.
In addition to Heinrich Wittcop, another notable figure is Margarethe Wittcop, a midwife who was recorded in church records of the town of Lüneburg around the year 1420. Her expertise and position in the community were well-documented, attesting to the respect the name had garnered.
During the 16th century, the name appears in various legal documents. A recorded instance from 1545 details a Johann Wittcop, a merchant in the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, which was during a time when this city was a significant trading hub.
The 17th century saw the name Wittcop associated with academia and the clergy. Reverend Dietrich Wittcop, born in 1623, served as a Lutheran pastor in Lübeck and was known for his theological writings, contributing to the Protestant Reformation debates of his time. He died in 1681, leaving a marked influence in ecclesiastical circles.
In the arts, Franz Wittcop, born in 1760, stands out as a recognized painter residing in the region of Mecklenburg. His works, although largely confined to local patronage, showed a unique blend of baroque and early romantic styles. He continued to be an influential figure in local art circles until his death in 1825.
Geographic records from older spellings include variations such as Wittekop and Wittekop, found in settlements across Lower Saxony, pointing to the name's inclusion in place names, likely owing to families that held significant land or social standing.
The name Wittcop, while relatively rare, carries a rich historical lineage, connecting it to various professions and regions within Germany, bearing testimony to its embedded cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittcop
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittcop, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittcop 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 Wittcop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittcop
Wittcop appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,038 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 7,038 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 Wittcop 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 | #148,347 | #141,309 | 4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 121 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittcop bearers went from 111 to 121 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 7,038 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #141,309.
FAQ
Wittcop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittcop?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Wittcop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Wittcop?
Wittcop ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Wittcop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wittcop.
Has Wittcop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittcop went from 111 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 10 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittcop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittcop, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) 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 Wittcop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittcop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), 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 Wittcop (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 Wittcop mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Wittkopp, meaning "white head" or "person with a white head of hair." 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 Wittcop (0.04 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 Wittcop?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.