2000
#11,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,575
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Lipman
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "lipman," meaning a seller or maker of hats or caps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,542 Americans carry the last name Lipman. That puts it at #13,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lipman 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 Lipman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,836
Census rank
#13,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,217 bearers of the surname Lipman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lipman
The surname Lipman is of German origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Lippe," which referred to a geographical region in what is now North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name may have been derived from this place name or from the German word "lippe," meaning "lip."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lipman can be found in the Liber Censuum, a 13th-century manuscript that served as a record of taxes and rents owed to the Holy See. The name is also mentioned in various medieval German records and chronicles.
In the 14th century, a prominent Jewish family named Lipman resided in the town of Mühlhausen, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. The family was known for their scholarly pursuits and produced several notable rabbis and scholars over the generations.
A notable figure bearing the name Lipman was Lipman Muhlhausen (c. 1350-1420), a German rabbi and author who wrote the influential work "Nitzachon," which defended Judaism against Christian polemics. Another prominent individual was Ephraim Lipman (1572-1619), a Polish Talmudic scholar and author of "Seder Ephraim."
In the 16th century, the surname Lipman appeared in various records across Europe, including in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Lipmans" or "Lypmannus." One example is Dirck Lipmans (c. 1540-1615), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious works.
In the 18th century, the name Lipman gained prominence in England, with notable figures such as Abigail Lipman (1726-1797), a Jewish educator and philanthropist who founded a school for Jewish girls in London. Another notable English figure was Sir Jonathan Lipman (1751-1832), a successful merchant and banker who served as the first Jewish sheriff of the City of London.
Throughout history, the surname Lipman has been associated with various professions and fields, from religious scholarship to the arts, commerce, and public service. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has spread across Europe and beyond, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lipman
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lipman 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 Lipman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,054
- Two or more races2.6% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 26
- Black or African American1.1% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lipman
Lipman 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
#12,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,507
-68 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,129 places
2020
#13,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,217
-290 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 801 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,270 | 2,575 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,399 | 2,507 | 0.85 | -68 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,129 places |
| 2020 | #13,200 | 2,217 | 0.74 | -290 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 801 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 Lipman 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 | #12,399 | #13,200 | -6.5% |
| Count | 2,507 | 2,217 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.74 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lipman bearers went from 2,507 to 2,217 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 801 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,399 to #13,200.
FAQ
Lipman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lipman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,542 living Americans carry the surname Lipman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,836 residents.
How common is Lipman?
Lipman ranks #13,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,217 people with the surname Lipman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Lipman.
Has Lipman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lipman went from 2,507 recorded bearers to 2,217. That is a decrease of 290 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,399 to #13,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Lipman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Lipman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,054 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lipman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Lipman (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 Lipman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "lipman," meaning a seller or maker of hats or caps. 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 Lipman (0.74 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 are called Lipman?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lipman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.