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Witter Family History

Witter Name Meaning

German: from an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements wid(u) ‘wood forest’ + hari ‘army’. North German: occupational name for a whitewasher or plasterer from Middle Low German witten ‘to make white’ or for a coiner from witten ‘to determine the contents of gold or silver by boiling’. English (Lancashire and Cheshire): variant of Whitter .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Ritter, Wittmer, Wetter, Gitter, Bitter, Wicker, Mitter, Winter

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Witter family from?

You can see how Witter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Witter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Witter families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 33 Witter families living in New York. This was about 32% of all the recorded Witter's in USA. New York had the highest population of Witter families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Witter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Witter ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Witter. 18% of Witter men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Witter women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Witter were Clerk and Housework. .

View Census Data for Witter | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    18%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    14%
  • Teacher
    11%
  • Housewife
    9%
  • Housework
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Witter family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Witter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Witter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Witter

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Witter. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Witter. For the veterans among your Witter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Witter military records

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What is the average Witter lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Witter life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1975. The average life expectancy for Witter in 1940 was 33, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Witter

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