2000
#19,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Wittwer
A German occupational surname for a shepherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,600 Americans carry the last name Wittwer. That puts it at #19,402 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 214,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittwer 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
1.6K
1 in 214,221
Census rank
#19,402
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,395 bearers of the surname Wittwer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19402nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittwer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittwer
The surname Wittwer has its origins in Switzerland, specifically in the German-speaking regions. It can be traced back to the medieval period, with the earliest recorded instances appearing in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name is derived from the Old High German word "witu," meaning "wood" or "forest," and "war," which stands for "protector" or "guardian." Thus, Wittwer can be roughly translated to mean "guardian of the forest."
The surname is found predominantly in the Swiss cantons of Bern and Zurich. Old manuscripts and records from these regions often mention families with the Wittwer name. One of the earliest references occurs in tax records from Bern in the 14th century. Over time, the name spread to neighboring areas and evolved slightly in spelling variations such as Wittwer, Wittwehr, and Wittwerh.
Among the notable historical figures with this surname is Jakob Wittwer, a Swiss theologian born in 1716 who contributed significantly to religious studies in the 18th century. Another early bearer of the name was Hans Wittwer, a prominent architect and Bauhaus teacher born in 1894, known for his role in modernist architectural movements. Samuel Wittwer, born in 1695, was a respected merchant known for his extensive trade networks in Europe.
Franz Wittwer, a Swiss painter born in 1832, gained recognition for his landscape paintings that depicted the scenic beauty of Switzerland. Johann Georg Wittwer, a naturalist from the late 18th century, made significant contributions to the study of Alpine flora and fauna.
Throughout history, the Wittwer name has been associated with various professions, ranging from merchants and theologians to artists and scientists. The historical footprint of the Wittwer name is rich with cultural and professional diversity, reflecting the dynamic contributions made by individuals bearing this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittwer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittwer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittwer 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 Wittwer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,303
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 37
- Two or more races2.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittwer
Wittwer 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
#19,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,390
+102 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#19,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,395
+5 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,428 | 1,288 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,441 | 1,390 | 0.47 | +102 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #19,402 | 1,395 | 0.47 | +5 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 39 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 Wittwer 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 | #19,441 | #19,402 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,390 | 1,395 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.47 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittwer bearers went from 1,390 to 1,395 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,441 to #19,402.
FAQ
Wittwer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittwer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,600 living Americans carry the surname Wittwer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 214,221 residents.
How common is Wittwer?
Wittwer ranks #19,402 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.47 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 1,395 people with the surname Wittwer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.47 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 Wittwer.
Has Wittwer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittwer went from 1,390 recorded bearers to 1,395. That is an increase of 5 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,441 to #19,402.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittwer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittwer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Wittwer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,303 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittwer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Wittwer (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 Wittwer mean?
A German occupational surname for a shepherd. 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 Wittwer (0.47 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 Wittwer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.