2000
#11,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Yetter
An occupational surname for a gate keeper, derived from the Middle High German word "jeten" meaning "weeder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,933 Americans carry the last name Yetter. That puts it at #11,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yetter 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
2.9K
1 in 116,861
Census rank
#11,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,558 bearers of the surname Yetter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yetter
The surname Yetter is of German origin, first appearing in historical records during the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Middle High German word "jettere," which translates to "wanderer" or "nomad." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who traveled frequently or led a nomadic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yetter name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt, Germany. In this text, dated around 1350, a man named Henze Yetter is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Zerbst.
By the 16th century, the Yetter name had spread to various parts of Germany, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johann Yetter (1486-1556), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another early figure associated with the Yetter name was Hans Yetter (1555-1611), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can still be found in various churches and museums across Germany.
In the 17th century, the Yetter surname made its way to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and France. One notable bearer of this name was Jean-Baptiste Yetter (1639-1718), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of calculus.
As the Yetter family continued to spread across Europe, they also ventured into new occupations and fields. In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Yetter (1726-1798) was a prominent German architect and urban planner responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
During the 19th century, the Yetter name gained recognition in the literary world with the works of German novelist and playwright Friedrich Yetter (1813-1887). His novels and plays explored themes of social commentary and the human condition.
It is worth noting that while the Yetter surname has maintained its Germanic roots, variations in spelling have emerged over time, such as Yetter, Jetter, and Yittir. Additionally, the name has been adopted by individuals of various ethnic backgrounds, further diversifying its cultural and geographical reach.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yetter
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yetter 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 Yetter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,371
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 79
- Two or more races2.7% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yetter
Yetter 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
#10,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,903
+428 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 673 places
2020
#11,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-345 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,632 | 2,475 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,959 | 2,903 | 0.98 | +428 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 673 places |
| 2020 | #11,717 | 2,558 | 0.86 | -345 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 758 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 Yetter 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 | #10,959 | #11,717 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,903 | 2,558 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.86 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yetter bearers went from 2,903 to 2,558 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,959 to #11,717.
FAQ
Yetter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yetter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,933 living Americans carry the surname Yetter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,861 residents.
How common is Yetter?
Yetter ranks #11,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,558 people with the surname Yetter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Yetter.
Has Yetter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yetter went from 2,903 recorded bearers to 2,558. That is a decrease of 345 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,959 to #11,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Yetter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Yetter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yetter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Yetter (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 Yetter mean?
An occupational surname for a gate keeper, derived from the Middle High German word "jeten" meaning "weeder". 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 Yetter (0.86 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 Yetter?
See how many people have the surname Yetter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.