2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wittebort
A surname derived from Dutch meaning "white beard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Wittebort. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittebort 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Wittebort in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittebort, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittebort
The surname Wittebort is believed to originate from the regions of Northern Europe, specifically the Low Countries, which historically encompass modern-day Belgium, parts of the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Emerging in the late medieval period, the surname is likely rooted in the Dutch or Flemish language, both of which were widely spoken in these areas during the time.
The name Wittebort is likely derived from a combination of the Old Dutch word "wit," meaning "white," and "borecht" or "brecht," meaning "bright" or "magnificent." Such composite surnames often described either physical characteristics or moral attributes. Therefore, Wittebort could originally have referred to someone with a fair complexion or someone of notable virtue or reputation.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname appear in various feudal documents and local registers from the 14th century. One of the first instances of the surname in historical manuscripts can be traced back to a 1377 land deed from the county of Flanders, which mentions a Johan Wittebort, a local landowner. In subsequent centuries, the name appears in civic records, often associated with individuals of some standing in rural and urban communities across the region.
In the 16th century, records from the Antwerp city archives reference a merchant named Pieter Wittebort, born around 1525, who was involved in the wool trade between Flanders and England. Another notable figure was Hendrik Wittebort, a cleric in the Catholic Church born in 1601 and attached to the Diocese of Liège, who was known for his scholarly works on ecclesiastical law and policies until his death in 1667.
The name also appears in the military annals of the Thirty Years' War, with a Captain Adriaan Wittebort who served in the Dutch States Army and fought in the Battle of Rocroi in 1643. Additional historical figures include a 19th-century composer, Maarten Wittebort, born in 1843 in Ghent, who contributed significantly to the Flemish music scene with operettas and chamber music, continuing his work until his death in 1909.
Another remarkable mention is a 17th-century Dutch artist, Cornelis Wittebort, known for his landscape paintings. Born in 1620 in Utrecht, he earned acclaim for his detailed and vibrant works depicting pastoral scenes and rural life, exhibiting his artworks in local guilds until his death in 1694.
Through these various figures and records, the surname Wittebort attests to the rich history and cultural tapestry of the Low Countries, tracing the lineage of individuals associated with various professions and societal roles spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittebort
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittebort, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittebort 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 Wittebort surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino13.6% · 14
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittebort
Wittebort 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Wittebort 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittebort bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Wittebort surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittebort?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Wittebort. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Wittebort?
Wittebort ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Wittebort. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wittebort.
Has Wittebort become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittebort went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittebort?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittebort, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wittebort in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittebort appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Hispanic (13.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wittebort (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 Wittebort mean?
A surname derived from Dutch meaning "white beard". 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 Wittebort (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Wittebort?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.