2000
#11,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,514
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Lipe
Derived from a shortened form of the Germanic personal name Liutberht, meaning "bright fame" or "bright renown."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,706 Americans carry the last name Lipe. That puts it at #12,537 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,665 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lipe 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
2.7K
1 in 126,665
Census rank
#12,537
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,360 bearers of the surname Lipe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12537th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lipe
The surname LIPE originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "lipa," which means "linden tree" or "lime tree." This suggests that the surname may have been initially given to someone who lived near a linden tree or worked with the wood from these trees.
During the Middle Ages, the LIPE surname appeared in various German records and documents, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval charters and deeds from Saxony. One notable mention was in a 1289 document that referred to a "Johannes Lipe" from the town of Meissen.
The earliest known bearer of the LIPE surname was Henricus Lipe, a merchant from Lübeck who was mentioned in a 1324 trade record. Another early instance was Konrad Lipe, a landowner from Thuringia, whose name appeared in a 1367 land deed.
In the 15th century, the name LIPE was found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Some notable individuals from this period include Johannes Lipe, a scholar and monk from Nuremberg (c. 1420 - 1487), and Margaretha Lipe, a wealthy landowner from Mainz (c. 1450 - 1518).
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Lippe, Lipp, and Lipenius. One famous bearer of the name was Balthasar Lipenius, a German scholar and theologian from Dessau (1565 - 1638), who wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics.
Another notable individual was Johann Adam Lipe, a German composer and organist from Saxony (1616 - 1681), who composed numerous sacred works and was highly regarded in his time. In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Lipe (1738 - 1812) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Frankfurt.
As the LIPE surname spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, it continued to be associated with various professions and occupations, from scholars and artists to merchants and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has left an indelible mark on history through the contributions of its many bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lipe
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lipe 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 Lipe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,124
- Two or more races4.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lipe
Lipe 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
#12,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
-30 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 999 places
2020
#12,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,360
-124 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,489 | 2,514 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,488 | 2,484 | 0.84 | -30 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 999 places |
| 2020 | #12,537 | 2,360 | 0.79 | -124 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 49 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 Lipe 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 | #12,488 | #12,537 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,484 | 2,360 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.79 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lipe bearers went from 2,484 to 2,360 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,488 to #12,537.
FAQ
Lipe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lipe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,706 living Americans carry the surname Lipe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,665 residents.
How common is Lipe?
Lipe ranks #12,537 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,360 people with the surname Lipe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,706), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Lipe.
Has Lipe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lipe went from 2,484 recorded bearers to 2,360. That is a decrease of 124 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,488 to #12,537.
What does the Census say about the background of Lipe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lipe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lipe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lipe (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 Lipe mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the Germanic personal name Liutberht, meaning "bright fame" or "bright renown." 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 Lipe (0.79 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 Lipe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.