2000
#13,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Epp
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a descendant of someone who grew or sold apples.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,480 Americans carry the last name Epp. That puts it at #13,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Epp 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
2.5K
1 in 138,207
Census rank
#13,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,163 bearers of the surname Epp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Epp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Epp
The surname Epp is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany, particularly in the areas around the cities of Cologne and Bonn. The name Epp is thought to be derived from the German word "Eppe," which means "oak tree" or "acorn."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Epp can be found in the church records of the town of Zülpich, near Cologne, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family by the name of Epp residing in the area.
In the 17th century, the Epp name appeared in various court records and land registries in the Rhineland region, indicating that the family had established itself as landowners and prominent members of the local community.
During the 18th century, the Epp surname spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable individual with this surname was Johann Epp, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1725 to 1803.
As the 19th century dawned, the Epp name could be found in various parts of Europe. One prominent figure with this surname was Karl Epp, a German painter who was born in 1854 and is known for his landscape and genre paintings.
In the 20th century, the Epp surname continued to be present across Europe, and some individuals with this name achieved notable success. For instance, Theodor Epp was a German World War I flying ace who was born in 1890 and served as a fighter pilot for the Imperial German Air Service.
Another notable individual with the Epp surname was Johann Epp, a German-Russian Mennonite leader and writer who lived from 1876 to 1942. He played a significant role in the Mennonite community and was instrumental in the migration of Mennonites from Russia to Canada and other parts of the world.
It is worth mentioning that the Epp surname is also found in other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia, likely due to immigration from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Epp
Among Census respondents with the surname Epp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Epp 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 Epp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,968
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 86
- Two or more races2.5% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 30
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Epp
Epp 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
#14,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,127
+22 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 836 places
2020
#13,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
+36 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,291 | 2,105 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,127 | 2,127 | 0.72 | +22 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 836 places |
| 2020 | #13,457 | 2,163 | 0.72 | +36 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 670 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 Epp 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 | #14,127 | #13,457 | 4.7% |
| Count | 2,127 | 2,163 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.72 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Epp bearers went from 2,127 to 2,163 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 670 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,127 to #13,457.
FAQ
Epp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Epp?
Name Census estimates that about 2,480 living Americans carry the surname Epp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,207 residents.
How common is Epp?
Epp ranks #13,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,163 people with the surname Epp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Epp.
Has Epp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Epp went from 2,127 recorded bearers to 2,163. That is an increase of 36 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,127 to #13,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Epp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Epp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Epp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Epp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (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 Epp (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 Epp mean?
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a descendant of someone who grew or sold apples. 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 Epp (0.72 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 are called Epp?
See how many people are called Epp on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.