2000
#14,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Epling
A Pennsylvania German habitational surname derived from a Middle German word meaning "apple orchard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,069 Americans carry the last name Epling. That puts it at #15,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Epling 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
2.1K
1 in 165,662
Census rank
#15,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,804 bearers of the surname Epling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Epling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Epling
The surname Epling is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old German word "apling," which referred to a small apple or an apple tree. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near an apple orchard or who was associated with the cultivation of apples.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Epling can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, the name is spelled "Aplingh," indicating its connection to the Old German word "apling."
The Epling surname later spread to other parts of German-speaking Europe, including Switzerland and Austria. In the 16th century, records show the name appearing in various forms, such as "Eplingen" and "Eplinger," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable figure bearing the Epling surname was Johannes Epling (1529-1608), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Saxony. Another noteworthy individual was Christoph Epling (1609-1681), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
As the Epling family migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, the surname underwent further changes in spelling and pronunciation. In the United States, the name Epling is most commonly found in states with significant German-American populations, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Epling in more recent history are John Epling (1872-1947), an American educator and politician who served as the 19th Governor of Arkansas, and William Epling (1897-1976), a World War I veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in combat.
Overall, the surname Epling has a rich history that can be traced back to its Germanic origins and the Old German word "apling," reflecting the influence of language, migration, and cultural exchange on the evolution of family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Epling
Among Census respondents with the surname Epling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Epling 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 Epling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,661
- Two or more races3.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Epling
Epling 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
#15,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,867
-49 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,312 places
2020
#15,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,804
-63 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,335 | 1,916 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,647 | 1,867 | 0.63 | -49 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,312 places |
| 2020 | #15,592 | 1,804 | 0.60 | -63 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 55 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 Epling 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 | #15,647 | #15,592 | 0.4% |
| Count | 1,867 | 1,804 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Epling bearers went from 1,867 to 1,804 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,647 to #15,592.
FAQ
Epling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Epling?
Name Census estimates that about 2,069 living Americans carry the surname Epling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,662 residents.
How common is Epling?
Epling ranks #15,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,804 people with the surname Epling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Epling.
Has Epling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Epling went from 1,867 recorded bearers to 1,804. That is a decrease of 63 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,647 to #15,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Epling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Epling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Epling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Epling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Epling (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 Epling mean?
A Pennsylvania German habitational surname derived from a Middle German word meaning "apple orchard". 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 Epling (0.60 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 common is the surname Epling?
If you just want to know how many people are called Epling, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.