2000
#3,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,454
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.50
Uncommon Last name
Witte
German and Dutch surname derived from the Middle High German word "wiz" or Middle Dutch "wit," meaning "white" or "fair-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,620 Americans carry the last name Witte. That puts it at #3,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witte 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 Witte with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,274
Census rank
#3,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,261 bearers of the surname Witte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witte
The surname WITTE has its origins in Germany, and is derived from the Germanic word "hwit," meaning white or bright. It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to a person with fair hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a "Henricus Witte" in the city of Münster. The surname also appears in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries across various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Brandenburg, and Westphalia.
The name WITTE was particularly prevalent in the northern German states, where it was often associated with prominent families and individuals. In the 16th century, Petrus Witte (1499-1572) was a renowned German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Johann Heinrich Witte (1703-1773), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Halle and authored several influential works on jurisprudence.
In the 18th century, Samuel Gottlieb Witte (1730-1803) was a German philanthropist and industrialist who established several charitable foundations and made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in Saxony.
The name WITTE also has ties to various place names in Germany, such as Wittenburg (now known as Białogard) in Pomerania, and the town of Wittenberg, famously associated with Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.
During the 19th century, Carl Witte (1800-1883) was a renowned German chemist and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of the modern match.
As German immigrants settled in other parts of the world, the surname WITTE spread to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witte
Among Census respondents with the surname Witte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Witte 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 Witte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 8,676
- Two or more races2.6% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 57
- Black or African American0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witte
Witte 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
#3,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,816
+362 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#3,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,261
-555 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,458 | 9,454 | 3.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,617 | 9,816 | 3.33 | +362 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #3,731 | 9,261 | 3.10 | -555 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 114 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 Witte 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 | #3,617 | #3,731 | -3.2% |
| Count | 9,816 | 9,261 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.33 | 3.10 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witte bearers went from 9,816 to 9,261 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,617 to #3,731.
FAQ
Witte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witte?
Name Census estimates that about 10,620 living Americans carry the surname Witte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,274 residents.
How common is Witte?
Witte ranks #3,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,261 people with the surname Witte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Witte.
Has Witte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witte went from 9,816 recorded bearers to 9,261. That is a decrease of 555 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,617 to #3,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Witte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Witte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (8,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Witte (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 Witte mean?
German and Dutch surname derived from the Middle High German word "wiz" or Middle Dutch "wit," meaning "white" or "fair-haired." 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 Witte (3.10 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 common is the surname Witte?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Witte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.