Find out how popular the last name Yotter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Yotter.

Yotter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Yotter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yotter in America

Yotter is the 60636th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yotter surname appeared 332 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yotter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yotter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Yotter

The surname Yotter is believed to have its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. The name is primarily associated with the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is derived from the Middle High German word "jotter," which means "jester" or "joker." In the feudal times, a "jotter" would have been a person who provided entertainment, often in the courts of nobility.

The earliest references to the surname Yotter appear in records from the 14th century. Manuscripts from 1365 mention a Heinrich Yotter who served in the court of a Bavarian duke. The name shows up in various ecclesiastical and civic records in subsequent centuries, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Jotter, Yoter, and Jottere.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in historical manuscripts is found in the “List of Inhabitants” document of 1493, which listed a Wilhelm Yotter in Munich. Wilhelm was noted as a craftsman, suggesting that by this time, the name had become relatively common and was not only associated with court jesters but also individuals in other trades.

The Yotter name appeared in the church registers of Leipzig in the 17th century, notably with Johannes Yotter, born in 1620 and a respected Lutheran pastor who served until his death in 1692. His contributions to theological discourse and local community services were well documented, further cementing the surname in the historical records.

In the 18th century, the name crossed the Atlantic with Johann Frederick Yotter, born in 1748 in Saxony. He immigrated to America in 1772 and settled in Pennsylvania. Johann became a prosperous farmer, and his lineage continued to spread the surname across the new country.

A prominent individual bearing the Yotter name was Abraham Yotter (1836-1904), a well-known German-American entrepreneur. He made significant contributions to the local economy through his textile business in Philadelphia, thus bringing the Yotter surname into prominence in American industrial history.

Another notable bearer of this surname was Elise Yotter, a German poet and author born in 1880 in Bavaria. Her collection of poems, published in early 20th-century Berlin, gained critical acclaim and contributed to the cultural richness of the period.

The Yotter surname has evolved over centuries, transitioning from a term associated with entertainment to a family name borne by people of various professions and achievements. The historical journey of the Yotter surname reflects the adaptability and resilience of those who carried it across continents and generations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yotter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Yotter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Yotter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Yotter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Yotter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Yotter, please contact us.

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