2000
#1,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.62
Uncommon Last name
Draper
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cloth or clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,788 Americans carry the last name Draper. That puts it at #1,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,795 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Draper 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Draper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,795
Census rank
#1,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,360 bearers of the surname Draper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Draper, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Draper
The surname Draper is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "drapier," which referred to someone who made or sold cloth, particularly wool. The first known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "drapario" in Essex.
In medieval times, the Draper surname was closely associated with the cloth and textile trade, which was a major industry in England. Many Drapers were members of the prestigious Drapers' Company, a livery company in the City of London that controlled the wool and cloth trade. The company can trace its roots back to the 12th century and was officially incorporated in 1364.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Draper was William Draper, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1560. Another notable figure was Sir Christopher Draper (1579-1646), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. In the 17th century, the Draper family established themselves as landowners in Worcestershire, with Sir Erasmus Draper (1590-1674) being a prominent member of the gentry.
The Draper surname also has connections to various place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Draper's Field in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from a person with the surname Draper. Additionally, there are records of variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Draper, Drapere, and Drapour, reflecting the evolution of the English language over time.
Some other notable individuals with the surname Draper include the following:
1. William Draper (1721-1787), a British military officer who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
2. John William Draper (1811-1882), an American scientist, philosopher, and pioneer in the field of photochemistry.
3. Henry Draper (1837-1882), an American physician and astronomer who made significant contributions to astronomical photography.
4. Ruth Draper (1884-1956), an American actress and monologuist known for her character sketches.
5. Theodore Draper (1912-2006), an American historian and political writer who specialized in the study of the Cold War and American communism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Draper
Among Census respondents with the surname Draper, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Draper 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 Draper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 17,869
- Black or African American13.1% · 3,058
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,006
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 861
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 165
Timeline
Historical Census data for Draper
Draper 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
#1,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,337
+1,095 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 8.25
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#1,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,360
-977 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.82
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,397 | 23,242 | 8.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,467 | 24,337 | 8.25 | +1,095 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #1,492 | 23,360 | 7.82 | -977 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 25 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 Draper 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 | #1,467 | #1,492 | -1.7% |
| Count | 24,337 | 23,360 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.25 | 7.82 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Draper bearers went from 24,337 to 23,360 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,467 to #1,492.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Draper
FAQ
Draper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Draper?
Name Census estimates that about 26,788 living Americans carry the surname Draper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,795 residents.
How common is Draper?
Draper ranks #1,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,360 people with the surname Draper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Draper.
Has Draper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Draper went from 24,337 recorded bearers to 23,360. That is a decrease of 977 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,467 to #1,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Draper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Draper, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Draper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (17,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Draper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Draper (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 Draper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cloth or clothing. 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 Draper (7.82 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 Draper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.