2000
#5,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Kipp
Derived from a German nickname for a lively person, from the Middle High German word "kippe," meaning "lively."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,509 Americans carry the last name Kipp. That puts it at #5,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kipp 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
6.5K
1 in 52,659
Census rank
#5,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,676 bearers of the surname Kipp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kipp
The surname Kipp originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Hesse. It first appeared in records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "kippe," which means "summit" or "peak," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a hilltop or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kipp surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, where a certain "Henricus Kipp" was mentioned in a record from 1284.
In the 14th century, the Kipp surname appeared in various spellings, such as Kypp, Kippe, and Kype, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography at the time.
During the late Middle Ages, the Kipp family established themselves as landowners and prominent citizens in several towns and villages across Hesse and neighboring regions. Notable figures included Johannes Kipp (1452-1517), a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Erfurt.
As the name spread across Germany and beyond, it gained recognition in other parts of Europe. One of the earliest records from outside Germany dates back to 1621, when a certain Pieter Kipp was mentioned in a Dutch census record from the city of Amsterdam.
In the 18th century, the Kipp surname gained prominence in the United States, as German immigrants began settling in various parts of the country. Johann Kipp (1735-1811), a Hessian soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War, is considered one of the earliest bearers of the name in America.
Other notable individuals with the Kipp surname include:
1. Heinrich Kipp (1819-1884), a German-American engineer and inventor who developed the Kipp apparatus, a device used for generating gases in the laboratory.
2. Maria Kipp (1859-1943), a German-American philanthropist and co-founder of the Milwaukee Downer College, one of the first institutions of higher education for women in the United States.
3. Frédéric Kipp (1863-1949), a French painter and engraver known for his landscape and genre scenes.
4. Gerry Kipp (1903-1982), an American professional baseball player who played for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves in the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Kathleen Kipp (born 1958), an American politician and former member of the Montana House of Representatives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kipp
Among Census respondents with the surname Kipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kipp 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 Kipp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 5,087
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 172
- Two or more races2.8% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 123
- Black or African American1.7% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kipp
Kipp 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
#5,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,978
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 429 places
2020
#5,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,676
-302 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,359 | 5,978 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,788 | 5,978 | 2.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 429 places |
| 2020 | #5,865 | 5,676 | 1.90 | -302 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 77 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 Kipp 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 | #5,788 | #5,865 | -1.3% |
| Count | 5,978 | 5,676 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.90 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kipp bearers went from 5,978 to 5,676 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,788 to #5,865.
FAQ
Kipp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kipp?
Name Census estimates that about 6,509 living Americans carry the surname Kipp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,659 residents.
How common is Kipp?
Kipp ranks #5,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,676 people with the surname Kipp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,509), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kipp.
Has Kipp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kipp went from 5,978 recorded bearers to 5,676. That is a decrease of 302 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,788 to #5,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Kipp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kipp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (5,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kipp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kipp (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 Kipp mean?
Derived from a German nickname for a lively person, from the Middle High German word "kippe," meaning "lively." 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 Kipp (1.90 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 Kipp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.