2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jappe
A Dutch surname derived from a nickname for someone with an odd or eccentric demeanor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Jappe. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jappe 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Jappe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jappe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jappe
The surname Jappe originates from Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "Jape," which means "to boast" or "to brag." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with a boastful or arrogant personality.
In the medieval period, the Jappe surname was primarily found in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany. Some of the earliest written records of the name include entries in church registers and local tax rolls from towns like Erfurt, Leipzig, and Weimar.
The Jappe name appears to have spread across various parts of Germany and beyond during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. One notable early bearer of the surname was Johannes Jappe, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the 15th century and is mentioned in several trade documents from that era.
In the 16th century, the Jappe surname can be found in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with a few individuals bearing the name being noted as followers of Martin Luther's teachings. For instance, Hans Jappe, a farmer from Wittenberg, is mentioned in a 1521 document as attending one of Luther's sermons.
As the centuries progressed, the Jappe name continued to appear in various historical records across German-speaking regions. In the 18th century, Johannes Jappe (1701-1787), a scholar and theologian from Halle, gained recognition for his writings on religious philosophy.
Another significant figure with the Jappe surname was Carl Jappe (1840-1918), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who made a fortune in the brewing industry in St. Louis, Missouri. He is known for his contributions to various charitable causes and educational institutions in the United States.
While the Jappe name has its roots in Germany, it has since been carried by individuals of German descent to other parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Australia. However, the most prominent historical records and notable individuals associated with this surname can be traced back to its origins in central and northern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jappe
Among Census respondents with the surname Jappe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jappe 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 Jappe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jappe
Jappe 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
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,861 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,861 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Jappe 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 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jappe bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Jappe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jappe?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Jappe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Jappe?
Jappe ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Jappe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Jappe.
Has Jappe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jappe went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Jappe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jappe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Jappe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jappe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Jappe (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 Jappe mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a nickname for someone with an odd or eccentric demeanor. 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 Jappe (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 have the surname Jappe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.