2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bepler
An occupational surname derived from the German word meaning "piper" or "flute player".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Bepler. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bepler 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.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Bepler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bepler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bepler
The surname Bepler has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the word "Bepler," which was an occupational name for a maker of candle wicks or a chandler. The name was first recorded in the towns and villages of southern Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bepler can be found in the church records of the town of Wertheim, located in Baden-Württemberg, where a certain Hans Bepler was mentioned in 1542. In the nearby town of Amorbach, the name Bepler appeared in the local tax records in 1587, indicating that the family had established roots in the region.
During the 17th century, the Bepler family began to spread across other parts of Germany, with records showing individuals bearing the name in the cities of Hamburg and Berlin. One notable figure from this era was Johann Bepler, a master craftsman and member of the prestigious guild of chandlers in Hamburg, who lived from 1622 to 1698.
As the centuries passed, the Bepler name continued to be associated with various trades and professions. In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Friedrich Bepler, a renowned scholar and author who was born in Nuremberg in 1723 and died in 1799. His works on philosophy and literature were widely read and discussed throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the Bepler family gained recognition in the field of medicine with the birth of Dr. Wilhelm Bepler in 1832 in the town of Jena. He became a respected physician and made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases, publishing several influential papers before his death in 1901.
Another notable individual from this era was Gustav Bepler, a celebrated composer and musician who was born in Dresden in 1854. His compositions for orchestras and chamber ensembles were performed across Europe, and he was hailed as one of the leading figures in the Romantic musical movement before his passing in 1918.
Throughout its history, the surname Bepler has been associated with various professions and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this name across Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bepler
Among Census respondents with the surname Bepler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bepler 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 Bepler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bepler
Bepler 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,114 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-20 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,114 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 16,454 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 Bepler 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 | #139,228 | #155,682 | -11.8% |
| Count | 120 | 100 | -16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bepler bearers went from 120 to 100 (-16.7% change). The surname moved down 16,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #155,682.
FAQ
Bepler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bepler?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Bepler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Bepler?
Bepler ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Bepler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bepler.
Has Bepler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bepler went from 120 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Bepler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bepler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Bepler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bepler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Bepler (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 Bepler mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word meaning "piper" or "flute player". 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 Bepler (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Bepler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.