2000
#6,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Hipp
An English occupational surname referring to a dancer or acrobat, derived from the Middle English word "hipp" meaning "to hop."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,041 Americans carry the last name Hipp. That puts it at #7,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hipp 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
5.0K
1 in 67,993
Census rank
#7,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,396 bearers of the surname Hipp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hipp
The surname HIPP is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "hibbe," which means "a raised or elevated area of land." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived on or near a hill or other elevated terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HIPP can be found in the parish records of the town of Oberamt Böblingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where a Johann HIPP was listed as a resident in 1632. The name also appears in various other German records and documents from that time period, with variations in spelling such as "Hipp," "Hippe," and "Hypp."
In the 18th century, the name HIPP began to appear more frequently in records throughout Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual from this time period was Johann Georg HIPP (1736-1805), a German Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Heilbronn.
As the HIPP family spread across Europe, the name began to take on different variations and spellings, depending on the region and language. In the Netherlands, for example, the name was sometimes spelled as "Hippe" or "Hyppe," while in Switzerland it was often written as "Hipp."
One of the most well-known individuals with the surname HIPP was the German artist and printmaker Jakob Wilhelm HIPP (1813-1893), who was born in the town of Waiblingen and is known for his detailed etchings and lithographs of landscapes and architectural subjects.
Other notable individuals with the surname HIPP include the German theologian and philosopher Karl HIPP (1873-1936), the Swiss politician and jurist Hans HIPP (1886-1965), and the Austrian actor and director Helmut HIPP (1925-2003).
While the name HIPP is most commonly associated with its German origins, it has since spread to various other countries and cultures, with families bearing this surname found in many parts of Europe, as well as in the United States and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hipp
Among Census respondents with the surname Hipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hipp 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 Hipp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 3,843
- Two or more races3.8% · 169
- Black or African American3.8% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hipp
Hipp 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
#7,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,660
-130 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 644 places
2020
#7,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,396
-264 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,533 | 4,790 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,177 | 4,660 | 1.58 | -130 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 644 places |
| 2020 | #7,306 | 4,396 | 1.47 | -264 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 129 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 Hipp 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 | #7,177 | #7,306 | -1.8% |
| Count | 4,660 | 4,396 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.47 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hipp bearers went from 4,660 to 4,396 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,177 to #7,306.
FAQ
Hipp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hipp?
Name Census estimates that about 5,041 living Americans carry the surname Hipp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,993 residents.
How common is Hipp?
Hipp ranks #7,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,396 people with the surname Hipp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Hipp.
Has Hipp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hipp went from 4,660 recorded bearers to 4,396. That is a decrease of 264 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,177 to #7,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Hipp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Hipp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (3,843 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hipp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.8%). 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 Hipp (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 Hipp mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a dancer or acrobat, derived from the Middle English word "hipp" meaning "to hop." 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 Hipp (1.47 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 Hipp?
Find out how many people have the last name Hipp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.