2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kuppe
A German surname meaning "a hillock" or "small hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Kuppe. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuppe 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Kuppe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuppe
The surname Kuppe has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word 'kuppe', which translates to 'hill' or 'summit'. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a topographic name, referring to people living near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kuppe can be found in the Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch (German Legal Dictionary) from the 14th century, where it appears as 'Kuppe'. This indicates that the name was already established and in use during that time period.
The name Kuppe has also been linked to various place names throughout Germany, such as Kuppen, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Kuppenheim, a town in Baden-Württemberg. These place names likely stem from the same root word and may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Kuppe include Johann Kuppe (1599-1668), a German theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Tübingen. Another notable figure was Friedrich Kuppe (1805-1873), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
In the 18th century, Johann Michael Kuppe (1716-1790) was a German composer and violinist who worked as a court musician in Kassel. His son, Johann Georg Kuppe (1763-1843), followed in his footsteps and became a respected composer and violinist as well.
More recently, Erich Kuppe (1894-1970) was a German writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and short stories depicting life in rural Germany. His works often explored themes of tradition, modernity, and the changing social landscape.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Kuppe has a long and rich history that can be traced back to its German roots and the topographic origins of the name itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuppe
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuppe 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 Kuppe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 96
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuppe
Kuppe appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-6 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 225 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 Kuppe 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 | #156,044 | #156,269 | -0.1% |
| Count | 104 | 98 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuppe bearers went from 104 to 98 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,269.
FAQ
Kuppe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuppe?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Kuppe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Kuppe?
Kuppe ranks #156,269 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 98 people with the surname Kuppe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), 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 Kuppe.
Has Kuppe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuppe went from 104 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #156,044 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuppe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Kuppe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuppe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Black (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Kuppe (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 Kuppe mean?
A German surname meaning "a hillock" or "small hill." 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 Kuppe (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 Kuppe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kuppe at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.