2000
#15,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,778
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Wittmer
A German occupational surname meaning a forestry worker or gamekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,152 Americans carry the last name Wittmer. That puts it at #15,091 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittmer 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
2.2K
1 in 159,272
Census rank
#15,091
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,877 bearers of the surname Wittmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15091st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittmer
The surname Wittmer originated in Germany, with its earliest occurrences dating back to the medieval period. This surname is primarily associated with German-speaking regions, particularly in areas that were historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name Wittmer is a combination of two Germanic elements: “witt,” meaning white or wise, and “mer,” an older form of “mari,” meaning famous. Hence, Wittmer can be interpreted as “wise-famous” or “white-famous.”
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wittmer appears in a 14th-century church register from the region of Baden-Württemberg, a historical territory in southwestern Germany. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries often show variations of the name, including Witemer and Wittemar. These variations suggest a phonetic evolution influenced by local dialects and orthographic practices of the time.
Notable historical figures with the surname Wittmer include Hans Wittmer, a renowned 16th-century carpenter from Nuremberg, born in 1523 and known for his intricate woodwork in various Bavarian cathedrals. Another early instance is Heinrich Wittmer, an academic and theologian born in 1590 who contributed significantly to religious discourse in the region of Saxony during the Thirty Years' War.
The name also appears in documentation related to the burgeoning trade guilds in the 17th century. Johann Wittmer, born in 1642, was a prominent guild member in Hamburg and played a crucial role in shaping the city's mercantile policies. He was known for his expansive trade networks that extended into the Dutch Republic and Scandinavia.
During the 18th century, the Wittmer name became associated with artistic endeavors. Maria Sophia Wittmer, born in 1745, was a respected portrait artist whose works depicted the aristocracy of Hesse. Her art style reflected the Rococo movement, and her paintings are still held in high regard within German art history circles.
In the 19th-century context, Ludwig Wittmer, born in 1820, was a distinguished industrialist in the Rhineland region. He played a significant role in Germany’s early industrialization phase, founding a successful manufacturing company that produced agricultural machinery. Ludwig’s contributions were critical in transforming rural agricultural practices in Germany, making them more efficient.
Overall, the surname Wittmer has a rich historical tapestry woven with diverse contributions to German society, ranging from craftsmanship and theology to trade, art, and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittmer 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 Wittmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 1,763
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 54
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittmer
Wittmer 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
#15,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,863
+85 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 466 places
2020
#15,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,877
+14 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,203 | 1,778 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,669 | 1,863 | 0.63 | +85 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 466 places |
| 2020 | #15,091 | 1,877 | 0.63 | +14 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 578 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 Wittmer 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 | #15,669 | #15,091 | 3.7% |
| Count | 1,863 | 1,877 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.63 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittmer bearers went from 1,863 to 1,877 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 578 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,669 to #15,091.
FAQ
Wittmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittmer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,152 living Americans carry the surname Wittmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,272 residents.
How common is Wittmer?
Wittmer ranks #15,091 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,877 people with the surname Wittmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Wittmer.
Has Wittmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittmer went from 1,863 recorded bearers to 1,877. That is an increase of 14 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,669 to #15,091.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Wittmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Wittmer (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 Wittmer mean?
A German occupational surname meaning a forestry worker or gamekeeper. 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 Wittmer (0.63 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 share the surname Wittmer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.