2000
#11,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,481
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Lipton
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of beer, from the Old English "lēap" meaning basket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,468 Americans carry the last name Lipton. That puts it at #13,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lipton 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 Lipton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,879
Census rank
#13,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,152 bearers of the surname Lipton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lipton
The surname Lipton is of English origin, deriving from the place name Lupton, which is found in several locations across England, including Yorkshire, Westmorland, and Lancashire. The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
Lupton itself is derived from the Old English words "luh" meaning a deep valley or ravine, and "tun" meaning a farm or enclosure. Therefore, the name Lipton originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a farm situated in a deep valley or ravine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lipton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it is spelled as "de Lupton." This suggests that the name was already in use by the 12th century and likely originated even earlier.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, spelled as "de Lupton." This further confirms the name's long-standing presence in the northern regions of England.
During the 14th century, the name is recorded in the Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, where it is spelled as "Luptone" in 1379. This variant spelling provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
One notable bearer of the Lipton surname was Sir Thomas Lipton, a Scottish merchant and yachtsman who lived from 1850 to 1931. He founded the Lipton tea company and was known for his attempts to win the America's Cup in yacht racing.
Another prominent figure was Seymour Lipton, an American sculptor born in 1903 and known for his abstract and geometric works. His sculptures can be found in various public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
In the literary world, Laurence Lipton was an American poet and writer who lived from 1898 to 1976. He was part of the literary scene in New York City and is known for his works exploring urban life and the human experience.
Additionally, Mervyn Lipton was a British actor born in 1911, who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career in the mid-20th century.
Finally, Lenny Lipton was an American inventor and film producer, born in 1940, who is credited with developing the technology for modern 3D cinema and projection systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lipton
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lipton 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 Lipton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,938
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 72
- Two or more races2.5% · 54
- Black or African American2.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lipton
Lipton 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
#13,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,361
-120 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,397 places
2020
#13,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,152
-209 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,605 | 2,481 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,002 | 2,361 | 0.80 | -120 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,397 places |
| 2020 | #13,511 | 2,152 | 0.72 | -209 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 509 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 Lipton 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 | #13,002 | #13,511 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,361 | 2,152 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.72 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lipton bearers went from 2,361 to 2,152 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 509 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,002 to #13,511.
FAQ
Lipton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lipton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,468 living Americans carry the surname Lipton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,879 residents.
How common is Lipton?
Lipton ranks #13,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,152 people with the surname Lipton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,468), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Lipton.
Has Lipton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lipton went from 2,361 recorded bearers to 2,152. That is a decrease of 209 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,002 to #13,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Lipton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lipton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,938 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lipton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lipton (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 Lipton mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of beer, from the Old English "lēap" meaning basket. 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 Lipton (0.72 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 share the surname Lipton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.