2000
#4,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.63
Rare Last name
Cupp
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of cups, mugs, or liquid vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,770 Americans carry the last name Cupp. That puts it at #5,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cupp 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
7.8K
1 in 44,113
Census rank
#5,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,776 bearers of the surname Cupp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cupp
The surname Cupp is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "cuppe," meaning a cup or small vessel, which was likely an occupational name for someone who made or sold cups.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cupp can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327, where a Richard Cuppe is mentioned. The name also appears in various legal documents and parish records from the 14th and 15th centuries, with spellings such as Couppe, Cowpe, and Cupp.
In the 16th century, the name Cupp was recorded in the Wiltshire Musters of 1539, which lists individuals eligible for military service. This suggests that the surname had become established in the region by that time.
The Cupp surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Cupp's Hill in Gloucestershire and Cupp's Farm in Wiltshire. These locations may have been named after individuals with the surname or vice versa.
Notable individuals with the surname Cupp throughout history include:
1. Thomas Cupp (c. 1570-1635), an English landowner and farmer from Gloucestershire.
2. John Cupp (1622-1692), a Puritan minister and author who immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3. William Cupp (1755-1832), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia.
4. Sarah Cupp (1828-1911), a pioneer settler in Iowa and one of the first women to own land in the state.
5. Henry Cupp (1866-1938), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Cupp Foundation for underprivileged children.
While the surname Cupp may not be as widespread as some others, it has a long and diverse history, spanning several centuries and different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cupp
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cupp 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 Cupp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 6,199
- Two or more races4.0% · 268
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 45
- Black or African American0.5% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cupp
Cupp 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
#4,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,263
+159 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 274 places
2020
#5,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,776
-487 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,579 | 7,104 | 2.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,853 | 7,263 | 2.46 | +159 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 274 places |
| 2020 | #5,018 | 6,776 | 2.27 | -487 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 165 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 Cupp 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 | #4,853 | #5,018 | -3.4% |
| Count | 7,263 | 6,776 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.27 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cupp bearers went from 7,263 to 6,776 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,853 to #5,018.
FAQ
Cupp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cupp?
Name Census estimates that about 7,770 living Americans carry the surname Cupp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,113 residents.
How common is Cupp?
Cupp ranks #5,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,776 people with the surname Cupp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cupp.
Has Cupp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cupp went from 7,263 recorded bearers to 6,776. That is a decrease of 487 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,853 to #5,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Cupp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Cupp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (6,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cupp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Cupp (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 Cupp mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of cups, mugs, or liquid vessels. 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 Cupp (2.27 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 people have the surname Cupp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.