# Switzer (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/switzer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 11,114 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,248 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 27,780 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.9% (11,211 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈswɪtsɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From early New High German Schwytzer (modern High German Schweizer) "a Swiss person", especially "a Swiss soldier or mercenary", a designation adopted in the 16th century, ultimately from the toponym Swīz "Schwyz". More at Swiss.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Switzer in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Switzer in the United States and Germany.

## People named Switzer

- Kathrine Switzer, American marathon runner, author, and television commentator
- Carl Switzer, American actor (1927-1959)
- Harold "Slim" Switzer, American actor (1925-1967)
- Barry Switzer, American football player and coach

## Similar surnames

Sweitzer, Schweitzer, Setzer, Shatzer, Stoker, Stocker, Steger, Steiger, Stcyr, Stecker, Stgeorge, Stucker.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.