2000
#5,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,667
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Lippert
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made candles or worked with tallow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,979 Americans carry the last name Lippert. That puts it at #6,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lippert 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
6.0K
1 in 57,326
Census rank
#6,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,214 bearers of the surname Lippert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lippert
The surname Lippert originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Lippe," which means "lip" or "edge." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent geographical feature, such as a ridge or a river bank.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lippert dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Johannes Lippert, a landowner in the town of Erfurt, who was mentioned in a historical document from 1287.
In the 14th century, the name Lippert appeared in various spellings, such as Lipperte, Lipperten, and Lipperten. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
The Lippert name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Gottlieb Lippert, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1683 to 1737. He was known for his works on religious tolerance and his advocacy for the separation of church and state.
Another prominent figure with the Lippert surname was Karl Lippert, a German painter and illustrator who lived from 1838 to 1891. He is best known for his illustrations of German folklore and fairy tales, which were widely popular during the 19th century.
In the 16th century, the name Lippert was associated with several places in Germany, such as Lipperten, a small village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Lippertshausen, a town in the state of Bavaria.
Another notable bearer of the Lippert name was Friedrich Lippert, a German economist and statistician who lived from 1839 to 1903. He made significant contributions to the field of population studies and was one of the pioneers of modern demographic research.
Lastly, Philipp Lippert, a German military officer and engineer, played a crucial role in the construction of several fortifications in the 17th century. He was born in 1623 and was known for his expertise in military engineering and his innovative defensive designs.
While the Lippert surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was first associated with geographical features and locations in central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lippert
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lippert 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 Lippert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 4,827
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 174
- Two or more races2.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lippert
Lippert 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
#5,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,794
+127 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#6,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,214
-580 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,615 | 5,667 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,942 | 5,794 | 1.96 | +127 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #6,277 | 5,214 | 1.74 | -580 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 335 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 Lippert 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 | #5,942 | #6,277 | -5.6% |
| Count | 5,794 | 5,214 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.74 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lippert bearers went from 5,794 to 5,214 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 335 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,942 to #6,277.
FAQ
Lippert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lippert?
Name Census estimates that about 5,979 living Americans carry the surname Lippert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,326 residents.
How common is Lippert?
Lippert ranks #6,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 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 5,214 people with the surname Lippert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,979), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 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 Lippert.
Has Lippert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lippert went from 5,794 recorded bearers to 5,214. That is a decrease of 580 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,942 to #6,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Lippert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lippert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (4,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lippert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lippert (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 Lippert mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made candles or worked with tallow. 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 Lippert (1.74 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 Americans have the surname Lippert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.