Find out how popular the last name Culpeper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Culpeper.

Culpeper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Culpeper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Culpeper in America

Culpeper is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Culpeper surname appeared 153 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Culpeper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Culpeper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Culpeper

The surname Culpeper originated in England, deriving from the town of Culpeper in Sussex. The name is believed to have emerged in the 11th century, shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It is derived from the Old English words "cul" meaning "cool" and "peper" meaning "a small stream or brook", suggesting that the name referred to a settlement near a cool stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Colepepers". This influential record suggests that the Culpeper family held land in Sussex during the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname was Thomas Culpeper, a knight who fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 during the Second Barons' War. His son, John Culpeper, was a member of the English Parliament in the late 13th century.

During the Tudor period, the Culpeper family gained prominence through their connection to the English royal family. Thomas Culpeper (c. 1514-1541) was a courtier and the lover of Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. Their affair was discovered, and both were executed for treason in 1541.

Sir John Culpeper (1616-1660) was a Royalist politician and soldier during the English Civil War, serving as a member of the Long Parliament and fighting for King Charles I. He was knighted in 1644 for his military service.

Another notable figure was Thomas Culpeper (1635-1689), an English botanist and herbalist. He wrote the influential book "The English Physitian" in 1652, which became a popular reference work on medicinal plants and herbal remedies.

The Culpeper surname has also been associated with various place names in England, including Culpeper County in Virginia, which was named after Lord Thomas Culpeper, the colonial governor of Virginia in the late 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Culpeper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Culpeper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Culpeper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Culpeper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Culpeper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Culpeper, please contact us.

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