2000
#13,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Epperly
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone from Epperle, Baden-Württemberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,440 Americans carry the last name Epperly. That puts it at #13,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Epperly 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
2.4K
1 in 140,473
Census rank
#13,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,128 bearers of the surname Epperly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Epperly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Epperly
The surname Epperly is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "Eppel," which means "apple tree." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or owned land with apple orchards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Epperly can be traced back to the 14th century, where it appeared in various manuscripts and historical records from the Bavarian region. The name was often spelled as "Eppeler" or "Eppelauer" during this time period.
In the 16th century, the surname Epperly began to spread beyond Bavaria as individuals migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including "Epperle" and "Epperlin."
A notable individual bearing the name Epperly was Hans Eppeler, a prominent merchant who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, during the late 15th century. Another early bearer of the name was Johann Epperlein, a scholar and theologian born in Saxony in 1499.
As the Epperly family continued to spread across Europe, some members eventually emigrated to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Peter Epperly, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1745.
Another notable figure was Jacob Epperly, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Virginia in 1760 and served in the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, the surname Epperly became more widespread in the United States, with many individuals bearing the name settling in states like Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. One notable individual from this period was William Epperly, a businessman and landowner who was born in Ohio in 1825.
As the Epperly family continued to grow and disperse throughout the United States and other parts of the world, the name took on various spellings, including "Epperley" and "Epperline." However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the German word "Eppel," a testament to the surname's rich historical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Epperly
Among Census respondents with the surname Epperly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Epperly 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 Epperly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,945
- Two or more races4.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Epperly
Epperly 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
#13,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,267
+105 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#13,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
-139 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,000 | 2,162 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,438 | 2,267 | 0.77 | +105 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #13,630 | 2,128 | 0.71 | -139 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 192 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 Epperly 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 | #13,438 | #13,630 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,267 | 2,128 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.71 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Epperly bearers went from 2,267 to 2,128 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,438 to #13,630.
FAQ
Epperly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Epperly?
Name Census estimates that about 2,440 living Americans carry the surname Epperly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,473 residents.
How common is Epperly?
Epperly ranks #13,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,128 people with the surname Epperly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Epperly.
Has Epperly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Epperly went from 2,267 recorded bearers to 2,128. That is a decrease of 139 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,438 to #13,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Epperly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Epperly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Epperly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,945 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Epperly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Epperly (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 Epperly mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone from Epperle, Baden-Württemberg. 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 Epperly (0.71 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 Epperly?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Epperly, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.