2000
#14,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Lepper
A shortened form of the German occupational name for a tilemaker or brickmaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,025 Americans carry the last name Lepper. That puts it at #15,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lepper 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 Lepper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,261
Census rank
#15,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,766 bearers of the surname Lepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lepper
The surname Lepper is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "læppa," which means a basket or a box used for carrying small items. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or carried baskets or boxes as an occupation.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Lepper dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Godric Lepere was listed as a tenant in the county of Lincolnshire. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in England.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Lepere, Leper, and Lepare. These variations were likely due to the inconsistencies in the spelling and recording of surnames during that time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Lepper was Thomas Lepper, an English clockmaker who lived in the 16th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of the pendulum clock and is considered one of the pioneers of precision timekeeping.
Another individual worth mentioning is John Lepper, a 17th-century English actor and playwright who performed with the King's Men, one of the most prominent acting companies in London during the Elizabethan era.
In the 18th century, the name Lepper was associated with the village of Lepper in Derbyshire, England, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname who lived in or owned land in that area.
During the 19th century, a notable person with the surname Lepper was Richard Lepper, a British artist and engraver who specialized in portraiture and book illustrations. He was born in 1810 and is known for his work on various publications, including novels by Charles Dickens.
Another individual worth mentioning is John Lepper, a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy during the early 19th century. He participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the exploration and mapping of these areas.
While the surname Lepper is not as common today as it was in the past, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Lepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lepper 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 Lepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,616
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 63
- Two or more races3.1% · 55
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lepper
Lepper 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
#18,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,447
-370 bearers (-20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 3,948 places
2020
#15,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,766
+319 bearers (+22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 3,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,935 | 1,817 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,883 | 1,447 | 0.49 | -370 bearers (-20.4%) | Down 3,948 places |
| 2020 | #15,879 | 1,766 | 0.59 | +319 bearers (+22.0%) | Up 3,004 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 Lepper 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 | #18,883 | #15,879 | 15.9% |
| Count | 1,447 | 1,766 | 22.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.59 | 20.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lepper bearers went from 1,447 to 1,766 (+22.0% change). The surname moved up 3,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,883 to #15,879.
FAQ
Lepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lepper?
Name Census estimates that about 2,025 living Americans carry the surname Lepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,261 residents.
How common is Lepper?
Lepper ranks #15,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,766 people with the surname Lepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Lepper.
Has Lepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lepper went from 1,447 recorded bearers to 1,766. That is an increase of 319 (+22.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,883 to #15,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Lepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lepper (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 Lepper mean?
A shortened form of the German occupational name for a tilemaker or brickmaker. 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 Lepper (0.59 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 Americans have the surname Lepper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.