2000
#13,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Lipson
Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "lips," meaning "noodle," referring to a noodle maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,100 Americans carry the last name Lipson. That puts it at #15,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lipson 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 Lipson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,216
Census rank
#15,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,831 bearers of the surname Lipson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lipson
The surname Lipson originates from Poland and is derived from the Polish word "lipa," meaning "linden tree." The earliest known record of this surname dates back to the 16th century in the region of Wielkopolska, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the early days, Lipson was often spelled as "Lipson," "Lipsohn," or "Lipsohn." It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families who lived near linden trees or in areas where these trees were abundant. The linden tree held significant cultural and symbolic importance in Slavic folklore and was considered a sacred tree.
One of the earliest known references to the Lipson surname can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of official records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname Lipson, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Lipson throughout history include:
1. Jakub Lipson (1585-1647), a Polish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the trade between Poland and the Netherlands.
2. Esther Lipson (1780-1853), a renowned Polish-Jewish scholar and writer who contributed to the preservation of Yiddish literature.
3. Samuel Lipson (1832-1901), a Polish-born American industrialist who founded the Lipson Textile Mills in New England.
4. Ephraim Lipson (1888-1960), a British historian and academic who authored several books on the history of Europe and the British Empire.
5. Leslie Lipson (1912-2000), an American political scientist and author who specialized in international relations and diplomacy.
The surname Lipson has also been associated with various place names in Poland, such as Lipsko, Lipnica, and Lipinki, which further reinforces its connection to the linden tree and its geographical origins.
While the name may have evolved and spread to different parts of the world over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Poland, where it first emerged as a distinct surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lipson
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lipson 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 Lipson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,598
- Black or African American6.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 59
- Two or more races2.8% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lipson
Lipson 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
#14,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
+41 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 732 places
2020
#15,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
-205 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 805 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,885 | 1,995 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,617 | 2,036 | 0.69 | +41 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 732 places |
| 2020 | #15,422 | 1,831 | 0.61 | -205 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 805 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 Lipson 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 | #14,617 | #15,422 | -5.5% |
| Count | 2,036 | 1,831 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.61 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lipson bearers went from 2,036 to 1,831 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 805 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,617 to #15,422.
FAQ
Lipson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lipson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,100 living Americans carry the surname Lipson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,216 residents.
How common is Lipson?
Lipson ranks #15,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,831 people with the surname Lipson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Lipson.
Has Lipson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lipson went from 2,036 recorded bearers to 1,831. That is a decrease of 205 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,617 to #15,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Lipson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lipson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lipson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lipson (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 Lipson mean?
Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "lips," meaning "noodle," referring to a noodle maker or seller. 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 Lipson (0.61 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 Lipson?
Find out how common the surname Lipson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.