2000
#13,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Luper
An occupational surname for a person who raises or herds wolves, from the Old French word "loup" meaning wolf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,226 Americans carry the last name Luper. That puts it at #14,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,978 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luper 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
2.2K
1 in 153,978
Census rank
#14,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,941 bearers of the surname Luper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luper, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luper
The surname Luper has its origins in the German language, and it is thought to have first emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old German word "loup," meaning "to run" or "to leap," which suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been particularly agile or swift individuals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luper can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Nuremberg, dating back to the 15th century. These historic records document a certain Hans Luper, a merchant who lived in the city during that period. Another noteworthy early mention of the name comes from the Kirchenbücher (church books) of Augsburg, where a Johann Luper is listed as a resident in the 16th century.
While the name Luper is not as widely documented in historical records as some other surnames, it is worth noting that a variation of the name, "Lauper," appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name may have had a presence in England during the Norman period, although its origins are likely German.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname Luper was Hans Luper (c. 1470-1535), a German painter and engraver who was active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance. His woodcut illustrations were widely acclaimed for their intricate detail and innovative techniques.
Another notable figure was Johann Luper (1570-1642), a German theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen. He was a prominent scholar in his time and authored several influential works on religious subjects.
In the 17th century, a man named Christoph Luper (1612-1680) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and inventor in the city of Augsburg. His innovative timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the era.
Moving into the 18th century, we find mention of a certain Maria Luper (1725-1795), who was a celebrated operatic soprano and performed at many of the major theaters and courts across Europe during her career.
Finally, in the 19th century, there was a notable military figure named Friedrich Luper (1820-1891), who served as a general in the Prussian army and played a significant role in the unification of Germany under Bismarck.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luper
Among Census respondents with the surname Luper, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Luper 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 Luper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 1,441
- Black or African American8.7% · 169
- Two or more races8.4% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luper
Luper 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
#13,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
+158 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#14,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
-229 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,796 | 2,012 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,916 | 2,170 | 0.74 | +158 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #14,688 | 1,941 | 0.65 | -229 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 772 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 Luper 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 | #13,916 | #14,688 | -5.5% |
| Count | 2,170 | 1,941 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.65 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luper bearers went from 2,170 to 1,941 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 772 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,916 to #14,688.
FAQ
Luper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luper?
Name Census estimates that about 2,226 living Americans carry the surname Luper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,978 residents.
How common is Luper?
Luper ranks #14,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,941 people with the surname Luper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Luper.
Has Luper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luper went from 2,170 recorded bearers to 1,941. That is a decrease of 229 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,916 to #14,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Luper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luper, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (8.4%). 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 Luper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (1,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (8.7%), Two or More Races (8.4%). 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 Luper (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 Luper mean?
An occupational surname for a person who raises or herds wolves, from the Old French word "loup" meaning wolf. 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 Luper (0.65 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 Luper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.