Vetter
A German surname meaning “cousin,” formed from the everyday kinship word for a relative.
The #4,142 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,111 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Vetter comes from the German kinship word for “cousin” or more loosely “relative.” In older German usage, the term could also serve as a familiar form of address, which helped it become a surname. The name is therefore not occupational or locational, but a relationship-based nickname turned hereditary surname.
History
The surname is especially associated with German-speaking areas, and related forms are found in Low German and other German dialects. Historical surname collections also note spellings such as Veddcr or Vetterlein, and English writers recorded it simply as a German relationship name. It remains fairly common in German and German-American families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname books, Vetter appears alongside other relationship surnames like Vater, Bruder, and Ohm as part of a whole family of kinship-based names.
From the historical record
“Wet, Wets ; D. Wetje, Vett, Vetter; G. Weth ; Fl. Wets; D.B. Wiet ; p.n. Whale. See Wale Whaley. A loc. n., Derby sh.,”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)