2000
#1,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.02
Uncommon Last name
Trotter
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or runner, or a nickname for someone with an awkward gait.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,877 Americans carry the last name Trotter. That puts it at #1,845 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trotter 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 Trotter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,667
Census rank
#1,845
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,078 bearers of the surname Trotter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1845th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trotter
The surname TROTTER originated in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word "trot" or "trotere," referring to a walker, messenger, or wanderer. The name was given as an occupational surname to those who traveled frequently or earned a living as messengers or couriers.
The earliest recorded instance of the TROTTER surname dates back to the 12th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a person named Walter le Trotere is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in its early form.
Throughout the Middle Ages, variations of the name emerged, such as Trottere, Trotter, and Troter. Many of these early bearers of the surname were likely employed as messengers or couriers for noblemen, monasteries, or other establishments that required frequent communication and delivery services.
Notable individuals with the TROTTER surname include John Trotter (c. 1580-1660), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War era. Another prominent figure was William Trotter (1772-1833), a Scottish naval surgeon and author who wrote extensively on maritime medicine and hygiene.
In Scotland, the TROTTER surname has a strong presence, particularly in the Borders region and Lothian. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was Robert Trotter (1608-1663), a Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
The TROTTER surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Trotter's Flat in New South Wales, Australia, and Trotter's Hill in Staffordshire, England. These place names may have derived from individuals or families bearing the TROTTER surname who settled or held lands in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the TROTTER surname include Catharine Trotter Cockburn (1679-1749), an English novelist and playwright, and John Bernard Trotter (1805-1899), a British army officer and author who served in the Crimean War and wrote several military histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trotter
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Trotter 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 Trotter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.2% · 11,286
- Black or African American31.3% · 5,963
- Two or more races5.5% · 1,041
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 584
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trotter
Trotter 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
#1,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,927
+981 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 6.76
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#1,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,078
-849 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.38
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,734 | 18,946 | 7.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,801 | 19,927 | 6.76 | +981 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #1,845 | 19,078 | 6.38 | -849 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 44 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 Trotter 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 | #1,801 | #1,845 | -2.4% |
| Count | 19,927 | 19,078 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.76 | 6.38 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trotter bearers went from 19,927 to 19,078 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,801 to #1,845.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Trotter
FAQ
Trotter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trotter?
Name Census estimates that about 21,877 living Americans carry the surname Trotter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,667 residents.
How common is Trotter?
Trotter ranks #1,845 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,078 people with the surname Trotter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,877), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Trotter.
Has Trotter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trotter went from 19,927 recorded bearers to 19,078. That is a decrease of 849 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,801 to #1,845.
What does the Census say about the background of Trotter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Trotter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.2% (11,286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trotter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.2%), Black (31.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Trotter (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 Trotter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or runner, or a nickname for someone with an awkward gait. 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 Trotter (6.38 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 share the surname Trotter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.