2000
#13,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Joplin
A locational surname referring to someone from Joplin, a place in Normandy, France, or from Joblin, South Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,196 Americans carry the last name Joplin. That puts it at #14,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joplin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Joplin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,081
Census rank
#14,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,915 bearers of the surname Joplin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joplin
The surname Joplin is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Joplin in Derbyshire, England. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "hop" and "hlyn," which together mean "hill beside a valley."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joplin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Ioppelinge." This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century, likely referring to people who hailed from the town of Joplin.
In the 13th century, records show a person named William de Jopline, indicating that the surname had evolved to its more modern spelling by that time. The "de" prefix denotes that William was from the place called Jopline or Joplin.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Joplin was John Joplin, who was born in Derbyshire in 1543. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
Another notable figure was Robert Joplin (1613-1678), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London.
The name gained wider recognition in the 19th century with the birth of Scott Joplin (1868-1917), the renowned African American composer and pianist who was known as the "King of Ragtime." His compositions, such as "The Entertainer" and "Maple Leaf Rag," became iconic works of American music.
In the literary world, Cleo Joplin (1899-1976) was an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories, including the critically acclaimed "The Lost Generation."
Another notable bearer of the surname was Arthur Joplin (1900-1970), a British artist and painter who was known for his landscapes and portraits.
While the surname Joplin has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it gained prominence due to the legacy of Scott Joplin and his contributions to American music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joplin
Among Census respondents with the surname Joplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Joplin 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 Joplin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 1,404
- Black or African American14.7% · 281
- Two or more races5.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joplin
Joplin 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
#14,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,107
+88 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 474 places
2020
#14,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,915
-192 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 621 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,759 | 2,019 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,233 | 2,107 | 0.71 | +88 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 474 places |
| 2020 | #14,854 | 1,915 | 0.64 | -192 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 621 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 Joplin 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 | #14,233 | #14,854 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,107 | 1,915 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.64 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joplin bearers went from 2,107 to 1,915 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 621 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,233 to #14,854.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Joplin
FAQ
Joplin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joplin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,196 living Americans carry the surname Joplin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,081 residents.
How common is Joplin?
Joplin ranks #14,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,915 people with the surname Joplin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Joplin.
Has Joplin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joplin went from 2,107 recorded bearers to 1,915. That is a decrease of 192 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,233 to #14,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Joplin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joplin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Joplin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (1,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joplin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Joplin (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 Joplin mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Joplin, a place in Normandy, France, or from Joblin, South Yorkshire, England. 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 Joplin (0.64 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 Joplin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.