Explore the Family Name Darter

The meaning of Darter

1. English: apparently an occupational name from an agent noun from Middle English darten ‘to pierce with a dart’ and perhaps ‘to plant (vines)’. 2. Americanized form of German Dötter (see Dotter). Compare Tarter.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Darter in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Darter saw a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Darter was ranked 25,865th most popular surname and had 893 count, which was equivalent to 0.33 per 100k people having this surname. However, by 2010, its rank fell to 29,604, with a count of 796 or 0.27 per 100k people. This represented a drop in rank by 14.46% and in count by 10.86%, demonstrating a decrease in the number of individuals bearing the Darter surname.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#25,865	#29,604	-14.46%
Count	893	796	-10.86%
Proportion per 100k	0.33	0.27	-18.18%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Darter

With respect to ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census showed changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with the surname Darter identified as White, although the proportion dropped slightly from 92.16% in 2000 to 90.45% in 2010. The percentage of Darters identifying as Hispanic saw significant growth, increasing from 1.46% to 3.52%. There was also a notable increase in the percentage identifying as Black or belonging to two or more races. On the other hand, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native experienced a decline, with the latter group seeing the greatest decrease from 2.91% to 1.38%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.16%	90.45%	-1.86%
Hispanic	1.46%	3.52%	141.1%
Two or More Races	1.68%	2.51%	49.4%
Black	1.01%	1.51%	49.5%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	2.91%	1.38%	-52.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.78%	0.63%	-19.23%