2000
#11,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Witten
Derived from a German place name meaning "white," likely referring to a person who lived near a white landmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,026 Americans carry the last name Witten. That puts it at #11,418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witten 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 Witten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,270
Census rank
#11,418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,639 bearers of the surname Witten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witten
The surname "WITTEN" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "widu," meaning "wood," and was likely an occupational name for someone who lived or worked in a wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval documents and records from the region now known as North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. For example, a reference to a "Johannes Witten" appears in a 14th-century tax record from the town of Soest.
In the 16th century, the name was also found in the nearby city of Dortmund, where a "Henrich Witten" was listed as a freeman in the city's records from 1557. Around the same time, a "Gerd Witten" was mentioned in a court document from the town of Kamen, dated 1583.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name was Johann Witten, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1492 to 1542. He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his writings on logic and metaphysics.
Another notable historical figure with the surname was Christoph Witten, a German Baroque composer and organist who lived from 1675 to 1725. He was employed at various churches and courts throughout Germany and composed numerous works for organ and voice.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Wilhelm Witten, a German jurist and politician who lived from 1822 to 1899. He served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was involved in drafting legal reforms related to criminal law and civil procedure.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname was Nikolaus Witten, a German businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1887 to 1965. He founded a successful construction company and used his wealth to support various charitable causes, particularly in the field of education.
Another notable figure was Theodor Witten, a German engineer and inventor who lived from 1901 to 1976. He held numerous patents for innovations in the fields of textile machinery and plastics production, and his inventions played a significant role in the industrialization of these sectors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witten
Among Census respondents with the surname Witten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Witten 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 Witten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 2,192
- Black or African American7.5% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 116
- Two or more races3.4% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witten
Witten 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
#11,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
+60 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 561 places
2020
#11,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
-56 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,070 | 2,635 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,631 | 2,695 | 0.91 | +60 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 561 places |
| 2020 | #11,418 | 2,639 | 0.88 | -56 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 213 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 Witten 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 | #11,631 | #11,418 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,695 | 2,639 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.88 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witten bearers went from 2,695 to 2,639 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,631 to #11,418.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Witten
FAQ
Witten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witten?
Name Census estimates that about 3,026 living Americans carry the surname Witten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,270 residents.
How common is Witten?
Witten ranks #11,418 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,639 people with the surname Witten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Witten.
Has Witten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witten went from 2,695 recorded bearers to 2,639. That is a decrease of 56 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,631 to #11,418.
What does the Census say about the background of Witten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Witten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (2,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (7.5%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Witten (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 Witten mean?
Derived from a German place name meaning "white," likely referring to a person who lived near a white landmark. 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 Witten (0.88 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 are called Witten?
Want to know how many people are called Witten? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.