2000
#9,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Lippincott
A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, meaning "Lippa's cottage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,112 Americans carry the last name Lippincott. That puts it at #11,158 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lippincott 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
3.1K
1 in 110,140
Census rank
#11,158
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,714 bearers of the surname Lippincott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11158th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippincott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lippincott
The surname Lippincott is of English origin, originating in the county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. The name is derived from the Old English words "lēppa" meaning a loop or bend, and "cot" meaning a cottage or dwelling. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a cottage near a bend or loop in a river or road.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears as "Lypyncote" in the Worcestershire County Records of 1275. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Lippincott. Variations of the name found in historical records include Lippincot, Lippingcott, and Lipingcote.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Richard Lippincott, who was born in Worcestershire in 1515. He was a wealthy landowner and served as a member of the local gentry. Another early Lippincott of note was John Lippincott, born in 1607, who was one of the first settlers in the American colony of New Jersey.
During the 17th century, several members of the Lippincott family emigrated from England to the American colonies, establishing themselves in areas such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. One of the most prominent figures was Richard Lippincott (1638-1683), a Quaker who settled in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and became a respected member of the local community.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Lippincott (1719-1798) was a notable figure from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a successful merchant and played an active role in the city's civic affairs, serving as a member of the Provincial Assembly and the Committee of Safety during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable bearer of the name was Joshua Lippincott (1772-1856), an American publisher and bookseller from Philadelphia. He founded the publishing company J.B. Lippincott & Co., which became one of the leading publishers in the United States during the 19th century.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the surname Lippincott over the centuries, reflecting its English origins and the family's eventual migration to the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lippincott
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippincott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lippincott 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 Lippincott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,467
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 102
- Two or more races3.5% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lippincott
Lippincott 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
#10,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,026
-57 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 917 places
2020
#11,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,714
-312 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,672 | 3,083 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,589 | 3,026 | 1.03 | -57 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 917 places |
| 2020 | #11,158 | 2,714 | 0.91 | -312 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 569 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 Lippincott 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 | #10,589 | #11,158 | -5.4% |
| Count | 3,026 | 2,714 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.91 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lippincott bearers went from 3,026 to 2,714 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 569 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,589 to #11,158.
FAQ
Lippincott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lippincott?
Name Census estimates that about 3,112 living Americans carry the surname Lippincott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,140 residents.
How common is Lippincott?
Lippincott ranks #11,158 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,714 people with the surname Lippincott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Lippincott.
Has Lippincott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lippincott went from 3,026 recorded bearers to 2,714. That is a decrease of 312 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,589 to #11,158.
What does the Census say about the background of Lippincott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lippincott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lippincott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,467 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lippincott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lippincott (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 Lippincott mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, meaning "Lippa's cottage." 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 Lippincott (0.91 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 Lippincott?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.