Surname Schütter - Meaning and Origin
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Schütter: What does the surname Schütter mean?
The last name Schütter is of German origin and is derived from the word "schütter," which literally translates to mean "sparse" or "scanty." The surname may have originally been used to describe someone or their family who were of lower social status or who were not wealthy.
The surname Schütter has also been associated with the military in some instances, with some of its bearers having served in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland throughout history. This is possibly due to the fact that the name Schütter also appears on the list of military regiments in Germany from the 16th century onwards.
Some of the earliest instances of the surname Schütter can be traced back to Bavaria, where records date back as far as 1399. In other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland, the name was also established in the 16th century.
In contemporary society, the surname Schütter is widely spread throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is also commonplace in many countries in the Americas, Europe, and Australia, due to German migration patterns over the centuries.
In summary, the last name Schütter denotes someone of German origin who likely had lower social standing or no wealth to speak of, although there is also a possibility of military associations. Today, the surname Schütter is quite common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Americas, Europe, and Australia.
Order DNA origin analysisSchütter: Where does the name Schütter come from?
The last name Schütter is most commonly found in Germany, where it is one of the most prevalent surnames. In general, German surnames fall into three categories—those derived from a given name or profession, those derived from a place, and those derived from a patronymic. Schütter is a patronymic name derived from the German word "Schütze," meaning "guardian" or "protector." It is thought that the surname arose as a way to distinguish between individuals in the same family—each one being a "Schutze" or "protector" of the other.
In addition to Germany, the name Schütter is also seen in other countries, including Austria and the Czech Republic. Today, the surname is most commonly found concentrated in certain areas of the Czech Republic and the German states of Bavaria, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatinate. According to Germany's official telephone directory, the surname appears with the most frequency in towns like Magdalena, Erdmannhausen, Tollweier, Stauf, Oberscheld, and Brünn.
The last name Schütter is also seen outside of Europe, indicating that at some point the family must have emigrated. For instance, records from Ellis Island listing passengers arriving from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries show immigrants with the surname Schütter settled in the United States as far back as the 1880s. In more recent decades, the surname has made its way into Latin American countries, most notably Mexico, where there are large populations of German-Mexican, or Mestizo, people.
Variations of the surname Schütter
The surname Schütter is of German origin and is derived from the world "Schütte" which literally means shed-keeper or shingler. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Schuetter, Schutter, Schuetters, Shutter, Shutters, Schuttert, and Schutte.
Schuetter is the most common and widely used variant of this surname and is found most prevalently in Germany. It is an anglicized version of the original German spelling Schütter. The spelling Schutter is another anglicised version of the same German name. This spelling is more prevalent in the Netherlands, especially in the region of North-Holland.
The spelling Schuetters is yet another variant, found in the Netherlands and Belgium. This is a patronymic form of the surname, wherein the Dutch suffix -s is added to the spelling in order to denote 'son of'. The variant Shutter is a spelling mainly used in the United States and other English-speaking countries. This spelling is different from the German and Dutch versions in that it uses the letter 'u' instead of 'ü'.
The variant Shutters is also used in the United States and elsewhere, and is just a different spelling for the same surname. Schuttert is a variation found predominantly in the Netherlands, and is a patronymic version of the name, indicating one who is the 'son of Schutter'. Lastly, the German version of the variant Schutte is also used in Germany. This spelling is slightly different from Schütter in that the letter 'e' is used instead of 'ü', and is in fact very close to the original German word 'Schütte'.
Famous people with the name Schütter
- Franz Schütter (1845: 1898), German composer
- Hans Schütter (1902: 1996), Austrian composer
- Ruth Schütter (1893: 1945), German WWI nurse
- Alfons Schütter (1922: 2004), Austrian zoologist
- Uli Schütter (1937: 2020), German actor
- Carl Schütter (1833: 1900), German musician
- Ricarda Schütter (born 1960), German film director
- Fritz Schütter (1880: 1952), German historian
- Angelo Schütter (1918: 1990), Austrian-Italian composer
- Bodo Schütter (born 1952), German professor and politician