Trotter Family History

Trotter Surname Meaning

English (northern; also found in southern Scotland): perhaps from an unrecorded sense of Middle English trotter ‘one who rides a trotting horse’ a derivative of Middle English trotten ‘to ride at a trot at a fast pace’. It may have been given to a messenger (see Trotman).

Alternatively perhaps from a shortened form of an unrecorded Middle English trotterer ‘dealer in trotting horses’ a derivative of Middle English trotter (Old French trotier) ‘horse that trots’.

German: occupational name for a vintner from a derivative of Middle High German trot(t)e ‘winepress’ (a loan translation from Latin calcatura).

The word and the surname are confined largely to Alsace, Lorraine, Switzerland, and Swabia.

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

Similar surnames: Rotter, Tretter, Trottier, Otter, Gritter, Zotter, Fritter, Cotter, Strother, Ritter

691,000 record(s) for Trotter

161K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
16K	Military Records
9K	Immigration Records
113K	Census and Voter Lists
391K	Member Trees

Where is the Trotter family from?

You can see how Trotter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Trotter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Trotter families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 25 Trotter families living in Tennessee. This was about 16% of all the recorded Trotter's in USA. Tennessee had the highest population of Trotter families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Trotter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Trotter ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Trotter. 20% of Trotter men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Trotter women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Trotter were Clerk and Maid.

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

20%

Laborer

18%

Salesman

6%

Clerk

3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife

7%

Teacher

7%

Housekeeper

7%

Maid

7%

What Trotter family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 113K census records available for the last name Trotter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Trotter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 9K immigration records available for the last name Trotter. 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.

Military Records

There are 16K military records available for the last name Trotter. For the veterans among your Trotter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Trotter lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Trotter life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Trotter in 1940 was 48, and 72 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Trotter ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.