2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zeiters
A surname possibly derived from a German word related to time or seasons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Zeiters. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeiters 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Zeiters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeiters, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeiters
The surname Zeiters is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. The name is most likely derived from the Middle High German word "zeiti" or "zait," which means time. It may have been used to denote someone associated with a specific period or season, possibly indicating a person who marked time for a community or who was involved in seasonal work.
Zeiter or Zeiter's earliest references can be traced back to Rhineland-Palatinate, an area in western Germany known for its historical roots in various cultural and linguistic developments. Early records from the 14th and 15th centuries occasionally mention similar names, but accurate tracing can be complex due to the variations in spelling and regional dialects affecting record-keeping at the time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in a 1432 manuscript from a church in Mainz, Germany, referring to a Johannes Zeiter, who was noted for being a local bell ringer. Another historical reference comes from a tax ledger in Trier dated 1518, listing a Gertrud Zeiter, indicating established family lines in those regions.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Zeiters, Zeitters, and Leitre. In 1654, a Hans Zeitters was documented in a marriage record in the small village of Boppard, along the Rhine River. This period saw the spread of the name across German-speaking regions, partly due to migration prompted by wars and economic opportunities.
A prominent figure bearing the surname was Friedrich Zeiters, born in 1783 and passed away in 1851. He was known as a local historian and chronicler in the town of Koblenz. His works have contributed significantly to the understanding of local 18th-century German customs and society.
In the 19th century, Johann Zeiter, born in 1824 and died in 1898, emerged as a notable figure. He was an educator and writer based in Cologne, with several published works on pedagogy and grammar that were well-regarded in educational circles across Germany.
Moving into the 20th century, Heinrich Zeiter, born in 1892 and perished in 1943, served as a notable engineer during the early industrial era in Germany. His contributions to mechanical engineering and innovation were significant during the interwar period, particularly in the automotive industry.
The surname Zeiters carries a rich legacy rooted in German history, reflecting the evolution of a name that, although not overly common, signifies a connection to the passage and measurement of time, embedded within the cultural and historical tapestry of early Germanic societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeiters
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeiters, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeiters 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 Zeiters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 91
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeiters
Zeiters 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,017 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 Zeiters 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 | #147,253 | #155,270 | -5.4% |
| Count | 112 | 101 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeiters bearers went from 112 to 101 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,270.
FAQ
Zeiters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeiters?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Zeiters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Zeiters?
Zeiters ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Zeiters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Zeiters.
Has Zeiters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeiters went from 112 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeiters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeiters, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Zeiters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeiters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Zeiters (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 Zeiters mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German word related to time or seasons. 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 Zeiters (0.03 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 Zeiters?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.