Explore the Family Name Ketter

The meaning of Ketter

German: 1. metronymic from a pet form of the female personal name Katharina. 2. nickname from Low German Ketter ‘heretic’ (standard German Ketzer). 3. Austrian variant of the topographic name Köther, from Middle High German kote ‘hut, cottage of a day laborer’ (see Koth).

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Ketter has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname jumped from 15,775 in 2000 to 11,592 in 2010, a notable increase of 26.52%. Concurrently, the count of people with the surname rose from 1,697 in 2000 to 2,709 in 2010, representing a growth of 59.63%. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 individuals bearing the Ketter name also experienced a boost from 0.63 to 0.92, marking an uptick of 46.03%.

20002010Change
Rank#15,775#11,59226.52%
Count1,6972,70959.63%
Proportion per 100k0.630.9246.03%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ketter

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Ketter also shifted between 2000 and 2010, as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest group identified as White, although this decreased slightly from 82.20% to 80.51%. Black was the next prevalent ethnicity at 15.20% in 2000, dipping marginally to 14.54% in 2010. Despite the small base numbers, significant percentage changes were noted for the Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories. The Hispanic representation under the Ketter surname grew from 0.88% to 2.44%, a substantial increase of 177.27%. Moreover, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, which had no representation in 2000, emerged with a 0.52% share in 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander identity also appeared in 2010 with a 0.63% share. Conversely, the share of those identifying with two or more races dropped minimally from 1.41% to 1.37%.

20002010Change
White82.2%80.51%-2.06%
Black15.2%14.54%-4.34%
Hispanic0.88%2.44%177.27%
Two or More Races1.41%1.37%-2.84%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.63%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.52%0%