The Trotter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 19,927 people carried this name — #1,801 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,800 people counted. That is up 5% from 18,946 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Trotter surname

As an English and Scottish surname for a messenger, from trot. As a German surname, from Trotte (“winepress”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Trotter» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the trotter’.

An early record he cites: Johannes Trotter, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Trotter and Trottier.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 765 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 12 births for the Trotter name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 11
Connacht 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 47 people named Trotter.

4 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Finistère.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 4
Finistère 16
Oise 10
Loire-Atlantique 5
Paris 4
Nord 3
Morbihan 2
Pas-de-Calais 1
Charente 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Trotter was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Yorkshire, North and East Ridings: 12 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 833. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 12
Northumberland 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Trotter was recorded 19 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1203rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 34. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 Trotter families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 114 people lived in those households, 4.6 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 8
Virginia 6
North Carolina 6
South Carolina 3
New Hampshire 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Trotter in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

29,421 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Trotter. The most, 5,408, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,926
Queensland 6,653
Victoria 5,174
Western Australia 3,472
South Australia 2,090
Tasmania 978
ACT (Canberra) 75
Northern Territory 17

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Trotter.

Who carried it

People named Trotter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Agnes Beatrice Trotter
    Agnes Beatrice Trotter d. 1954 · social worker
  • Catherine Trotter d. 1740
  • Martin Trotter d. 1833
  • Mary St. Lawrence d. 1825
  • Marjorie Trotter d. 1964
  • Charles William Trotter d. 1931

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Trotter,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,440 records

1,440 records of the Trotter name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 599
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 268
  • Other U.S. records 573
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Walter L. Trotter

    Born 1921 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jackson Columbia; farmer from Pickens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1944, buried at Florence National Cemetery, South Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ira L. Trotter

    Born 1913 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1941 at Oklahoma City; driver from Tulsa County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1959, buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eva Trotter

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Columbus from Amsterdam, aged 20; farmer. From Sandhausen, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,440 records for Trotter in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia809 records

809 records of the Trotter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 411
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 155
  • Other Australian records 243
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Robert Trotter

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Triton, sailing from London in 1842. Native of St Pancras, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Isabella Trotter

    Died 1901 in Perth, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1901.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Andrew Trotter

    Born 1890 in Launceston, Tasmania. Died 1921 in Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 809 records for Trotter in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada83 records

83 records of the Trotter name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 21
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 17
  • Other Canadian records 45
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Will'm Trotter

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Amelia Deeks Trotter

    Buried in 1990 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 90.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Cromie Trotter

    Died 1974, aged 79; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 83 records for Trotter in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom38 records

38 records of the Trotter name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 17
  • Stirling Council burial records 14
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Walter Trotter

    Died 1984, aged 79; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Trotter

    Buried in 1826 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 38.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Trotter

    Lincolnshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 38 records for Trotter in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand30 records

30 records of the Trotter name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 24
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 4
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Cecil Trotter

    Died 1947, aged 49; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Roy Gilpin Trotter

    Buried in 1902 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record A. Trotter

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Trotter in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands24 records

24 records of the Trotter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 21
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willem Trotter

    Married in 1596 in Delft; "cleermaecker", born in Scotland.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Livina Petronella Trotter

    Died 1820 in Utrecht, aged 77.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jannetgen Trotter

    Married in 1640 in Rotterdam; born in Schotlant.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Trotter in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France21 records

21 records of the Trotter name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Bessie-Patricia Trotter

    Born 1919 in Colon (Panama); died 2000 in Cherbourg-Octeville (Manche).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Francois Albert Trotter

    Born 1934 in Quimperlé; died 1998 in Quimperlé (Finistère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Edouard Trotter

    Born 1906 in Paris; died 1974 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Trotter in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany10 records

10 records of the Trotter name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 9
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list August Trotter

    From Kappel a. Rh. Reported wounded in the Württemberg casualty list of 18 August 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 127).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Jakob Trotter

    Left Kappel am Rhein for America in 1883.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Trotter in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Trotter name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Hariet Trotter

    Census of 1910: Ollebakken, Horten; "svigermor", born 1856 in Berg, Skotland.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Trotter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Trotter is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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