2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Eppinga
A Dutch surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "powerful" or "strong".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Eppinga. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eppinga 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Eppinga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eppinga
The surname "EPPINGA" finds its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the northern province of Friesland. It likely emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, deriving from a Dutch place name or a descriptive nickname referring to someone's occupation or physical characteristics.
One possible origin of "EPPINGA" could be a variation of the Dutch word "eppel," meaning "apple," suggesting the name may have initially referred to someone involved in apple cultivation or trade. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from a nickname describing a person's physical appearance or temperament, perhaps relating to the color or shape associated with apples.
Early records of the name "EPPINGA" are scarce, as comprehensive documentation of surnames was not widely practiced in the Netherlands until the 19th century. However, there are a few documented instances of the name appearing in historical records and manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "EPPINGA" was Jan Eppinga, born in the late 17th century in the village of Dokkum, Friesland. He was a prominent merchant and shipowner, and his name appears in various trade records and municipal documents from the early 1700s.
Another notable figure was Pieter Eppinga, a Dutch military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1785 in the town of Leeuwarden, Friesland, he rose through the ranks and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In the 19th century, Tjeerd Eppinga (1807-1879) was a respected linguist and scholar of the Frisian language. He authored several influential works on Frisian grammar and etymology, contributing significantly to the preservation and study of the language.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Hilda Eppinga (1876-1948) gained recognition as one of the first female academics in the Netherlands. She studied chemistry and physics at the University of Groningen and later became a pioneering researcher in the field of crystallography.
More recently, in the 20th century, Frits Eppinga (1913-1991) was a Dutch artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures. His works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are held in various museum collections.
While the surname "EPPINGA" may have originated from a specific region in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eppinga
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Eppinga 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 Eppinga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eppinga
Eppinga 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,016 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 9,016 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,218 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 Eppinga 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 | #139,228 | #149,446 | -7.3% |
| Count | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eppinga bearers went from 120 to 110 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #149,446.
FAQ
Eppinga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eppinga?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Eppinga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Eppinga?
Eppinga ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Eppinga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Eppinga.
Has Eppinga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eppinga went from 120 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Eppinga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Eppinga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eppinga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Eppinga (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 Eppinga mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "powerful" or "strong". 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 Eppinga (0.04 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 share the surname Eppinga?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.