2000
#6,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Setzer
Derived from the German verb "setzen," meaning "to place" or "to set," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation or characteristic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,190 Americans carry the last name Setzer. That puts it at #7,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,041 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Setzer 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.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,041
Census rank
#7,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,526 bearers of the surname Setzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Setzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Setzer
The surname Setzer is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Austria, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "setzen," which means "to set" or "to place," and likely referred to an occupation or a person's role in the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Setzer can be found in the Nuremberg Burgerbuch (Citizen's Book) from the late 14th century, where a certain Hans Setzer was listed as a resident of the city. The name was also mentioned in various medieval records and manuscripts from the German-speaking regions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Setzer was prominent in the areas around Augsburg, Regensburg, and Munich. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Setzer (1495-1572), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Nuremberg, and Georg Setzer (1534-1619), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria.
In the 18th century, the name Setzer appeared in the records of several German states, including Prussia and Saxony. One notable figure from this period was Johann Christoph Setzer (1716-1785), a German painter and engraver who worked in Dresden and Leipzig.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many people with the surname Setzer were involved in the printing and publishing industries, owing to the name's connection with the act of setting type. One prominent example was Johann Georg Setzer (1805-1870), a German printer and publisher from Leipzig.
Other notable individuals with the surname Setzer include Hans Setzer (1876-1939), a German-American painter and illustrator known for his work in the Arts and Crafts movement, and Ralph Setzer (1915-2004), an American baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams in the 1940s and 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Setzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Setzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Setzer 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 Setzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 3,980
- Black or African American4.9% · 222
- Two or more races3.6% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Setzer
Setzer 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
#6,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,940
-39 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 523 places
2020
#7,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,526
-414 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,302 | 4,979 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,825 | 4,940 | 1.67 | -39 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 523 places |
| 2020 | #7,119 | 4,526 | 1.51 | -414 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 294 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 Setzer 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 | #6,825 | #7,119 | -4.3% |
| Count | 4,940 | 4,526 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.51 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Setzer bearers went from 4,940 to 4,526 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,825 to #7,119.
FAQ
Setzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Setzer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,190 living Americans carry the surname Setzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,041 residents.
How common is Setzer?
Setzer ranks #7,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,526 people with the surname Setzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Setzer.
Has Setzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Setzer went from 4,940 recorded bearers to 4,526. That is a decrease of 414 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,825 to #7,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Setzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Setzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Setzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Setzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Setzer (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 Setzer mean?
Derived from the German verb "setzen," meaning "to place" or "to set," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation or characteristic. 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 Setzer (1.51 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 Setzer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Setzer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.