2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Eppling
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "little apple".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Eppling. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eppling 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Eppling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eppling
The surname Eppling originates from the German region of Bavaria, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "appel," meaning apple, suggesting that the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who cultivated or sold apples. Alternatively, it could be a toponymic surname, derived from a place name containing the element "appel."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eppling can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Austriaco-Frisingensis, a collection of historical documents from the Archdiocese of Freising, dating back to 1294. The name appears as "Eppelingen," likely referring to an individual or family from a place called Eppling or a similar name.
In the 15th century, a document from the city of Nuremberg mentions a "Hans Eppling," who may have been a merchant or craftsman. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries in towns and villages across Bavaria, indicating its widespread use.
Notable individuals with the surname Eppling include Johann Michael Eppling (1711-1784), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. Another notable figure was Philipp Eppling (1822-1895), a Bavarian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag, the national parliament of the German Empire.
In the 19th century, the name Eppling was associated with the town of Epplingen, located in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This place name is derived from the same root as the surname, suggesting a possible connection between the two.
Other individuals of note with the Eppling surname include Johann Georg Eppling (1702-1775), a German composer and organist, and Friedrich Eppling (1876-1947), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Munich and other Bavarian cities.
While the surname Eppling is relatively uncommon outside of Germany, it has been carried by individuals throughout history, with its origins rooted in the agricultural and occupational traditions of medieval Bavaria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eppling
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Eppling 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 Eppling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eppling
Eppling 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-31 bearers (-20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,151 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-20.4%) | Down 30,151 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 8,191 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 Eppling 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 | #138,304 | #146,495 | -5.9% |
| Count | 121 | 114 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eppling bearers went from 121 to 114 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 8,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #146,495.
FAQ
Eppling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eppling?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Eppling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Eppling?
Eppling ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Eppling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Eppling.
Has Eppling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eppling went from 121 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Eppling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eppling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Eppling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eppling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Eppling (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 Eppling mean?
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "little apple". 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 Eppling (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 are called Eppling?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Eppling on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.