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

Culpepper, 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 Culpepper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Culpepper in America

Culpepper is the 3521st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Culpepper surname appeared 10,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Culpepper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Culpepper 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 Culpepper

The surname Culpepper is of English origin, originating in the county of Kent during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words 'cul' meaning 'cool' or 'cold' and 'peper', referring to a type of spice or pepper plant. The surname likely referred to a place where cool peppers or spices were cultivated.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Colpeper'. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. The Domesday Book entry suggests that the name was already well-established in Kent by the late 11th century.

The Culpepper family played a prominent role in the history of Kent, with several members holding influential positions and owning significant estates in the region. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Culpepper (c.1495-1541), a courtier and close friend of King Henry VIII. He was executed for treason after being implicated in an alleged affair with Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of the king.

Another prominent individual was Sir Alexander Culpepper (c.1627-1663), a royalist officer during the English Civil War who fought for King Charles I. He later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Colony in North America from 1677 to 1683.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Culpepper surname was also associated with several notable clergymen, including John Culpepper (c.1580-1644), a Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Thomas Culpepper (1635-1689), an English clergyman and writer.

The surname Culpepper has also been linked to various place names in Kent, such as Culpeper's Dish, a natural amphitheater-like formation near the village of Goudhurst. Additionally, there are records of the name appearing in various spellings, including Culpeper, Colpeper, and Culpepper, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.

Throughout history, several other individuals with the Culpepper surname have made notable contributions in various fields, such as Sir Gerrard Culpepper (1616-1667), an English merchant and politician, and Martin Culpepper (1776-1836), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Georgia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Culpepper

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

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 Culpepper 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 Culpepper 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 Culpepper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!