2000
#3,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,828
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.64
Uncommon Last name
Minter
An occupational surname referring to a person who minted coins or worked at a mint.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,868 Americans carry the last name Minter. That puts it at #3,653 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minter surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Minter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,538
Census rank
#3,653
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,477 bearers of the surname Minter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3653rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minter, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minter
The surname MINTER is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "myneter," which referred to a minter or coiner, an occupation involved in the minting of coins or currency. This name arose in England during the early medieval period, likely around the 9th or 10th century.
The name can be traced back to various regions across England, particularly in areas with a strong tradition of metalworking and coining, such as the counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. Records from the 11th century indicate the presence of individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Muneter and Mineter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MINTER can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a certain Osbert le Muneter, a resident of Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was William le Minter, who lived in Nottinghamshire and is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. These rolls were financial records maintained by the Exchequer of England, indicating that William le Minter likely held a position of importance or responsibility within the local administration.
During the 14th century, the name MINTER continued to appear in various records across England. One prominent individual was John Minter, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London who lived from around 1330 to 1390. He is mentioned in the city's records and is known to have held significant influence within the mercantile community.
In the 15th century, the MINTER surname gained further recognition with the existence of Sir Thomas Minter, a prominent landowner and knight from Worcestershire. He was born around 1420 and served as a Member of Parliament for several terms during the reign of King Henry VI.
Another notable figure was Richard Minter, a scholar and clergyman who lived from 1490 to 1548. He served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and was a renowned theologian and commentator on religious texts during the tumultuous period of the English Reformation.
As the centuries passed, the MINTER surname continued to be represented across various fields and professions, from artisans and tradesmen to scholars and noblemen. While the origins of the name can be traced back to the occupation of minting coins, its bearers have left their mark in diverse areas of society throughout the history of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minter
Among Census respondents with the surname Minter, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Minter bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Minter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.9% · 5,484
- Black or African American32.6% · 3,089
- Two or more races5.0% · 477
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minter
Minter appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,301
+473 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.49
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#3,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,477
-824 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,336 | 9,828 | 3.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,470 | 10,301 | 3.49 | +473 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #3,653 | 9,477 | 3.17 | -824 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 183 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Minter surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,470 | #3,653 | -5.3% |
| Count | 10,301 | 9,477 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.49 | 3.17 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minter bearers went from 10,301 to 9,477 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,470 to #3,653.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Minter
FAQ
Minter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minter?
Name Census estimates that about 10,868 living Americans carry the surname Minter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,538 residents.
How common is Minter?
Minter ranks #3,653 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,477 people with the surname Minter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Minter.
Has Minter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minter went from 10,301 recorded bearers to 9,477. That is a decrease of 824 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,470 to #3,653.
What does the Census say about the background of Minter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minter, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Minter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (5,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.9%), Black (32.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Minter (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Minter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who minted coins or worked at a mint. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Minter (3.17 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Minter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Minter at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.