2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hippenstiel
A surname derived from a town or location of the same name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Hippenstiel. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hippenstiel 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Hippenstiel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hippenstiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hippenstiel
The surname Hippenstiel is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is derived from the German words "Hippe," meaning a small hill or mound, and "Stiel," meaning a handle or stem. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a hill with a distinct shape resembling a handle or stem.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Historical records show variations in spelling, such as Hippenstyl, Hyppenstiel, and Hüppenstiel, reflecting regional dialects and scribal errors.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Hippenstiel, a farmer from the village of Rothenburg in Bavaria, who was mentioned in a 1548 land deed. Another early record is of Anna Hippenstiel, born in 1572 in Saxony, who married Johannes Krause in 1596.
In the 17th century, the Hippenstiel name appeared in the Palatinate region of Germany. Notably, Johann Hippenstiel, born in 1632, was a Protestant minister who fled religious persecution and settled in Pennsylvania in 1683, becoming one of the earliest German settlers in the American colonies.
During the 18th century, the name spread across various German states. Christoph Hippenstiel, born in 1712 in Hesse, was a renowned clockmaker whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility. Another notable figure was Johann Friedrich Hippenstiel, born in 1765 in Baden, who served as a military officer in the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the Hippenstiel family continued to make contributions in various fields. Carl Hippenstiel, born in 1822 in Bavaria, was a celebrated architect who designed several prominent buildings in Munich. Meanwhile, Johanna Hippenstiel, born in 1856 in Saxony, was a pioneering educator who advocated for women's rights and established several schools for girls.
While the Hippenstiel name originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration. However, it remains relatively uncommon, with pockets of Hippenstiels still found in various German regions and among their descendants in countries like the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hippenstiel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hippenstiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hippenstiel 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 Hippenstiel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hippenstiel
Hippenstiel 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,413 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,413 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 9,069 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 Hippenstiel 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 | #146,201 | #155,270 | -6.2% |
| Count | 113 | 101 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hippenstiel bearers went from 113 to 101 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 9,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,270.
FAQ
Hippenstiel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hippenstiel?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Hippenstiel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Hippenstiel?
Hippenstiel ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Hippenstiel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Hippenstiel.
Has Hippenstiel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hippenstiel went from 113 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Hippenstiel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hippenstiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Hippenstiel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hippenstiel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Hippenstiel (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 Hippenstiel mean?
A surname derived from a town or location of the same name. 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 Hippenstiel (0.03 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 Hippenstiel?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Hippenstiel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.