Explore the Family Name Filter

The meaning of Filter

North German: from Low German vilt ‘felt’ (from Old Saxon filt), an occupational name for someone who made felt or a metonymic occupational name for a hatter. Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Erna, Ewald, Guenther, Kurt.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Filter' saw a subtle decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, its rank was at 34,503, but by 2010, it had dropped to 38,103, signifying a decrease in popularity by approximately 10.43%. The count of people with the surname 'Filter' also decreased from 621 in 2000 to 582 in 2010, marking a decrease of about 6.28%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 people likewise declined by 13.04%, moving from 0.23 in 2000 to 0.2 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#34,503	#38,103	-10.43%
Count	621	582	-6.28%
Proportion per 100k	0.23	0.2	-13.04%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Filter

Discussing the ethnic identity tied to the surname 'Filter', the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, although there was a slight decrease from 97.75% in 2000 to 96.39% in 2010. There was an emergence of Hispanic ethnicity within this surname group, increasing to 1.72% in 2010 from zero in 2000. Individuals who identified with two or more races also increased by 21.24%, moving from 1.13% in 2000 to 1.37% in 2010. However, no individuals with the surname 'Filter' identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during both census years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.75%	96.39%	-1.39%
Hispanic	0%	1.72%	0%
Two or More Races	1.13%	1.37%	21.24%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%