2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nipe
A Spanish surname derived from the word "nipa", referring to the nipa palm plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Nipe. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nipe 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Nipe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nipe
The surname Nipe is believed to have originated in England, likely derived from the Old English word "cnep," meaning a hill or hilltop. This surname is thought to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the Nipe surname can be traced back to various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It is possible that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived near or on a prominent hill or elevated terrain.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Nipe surname was William de Nype, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in the year 1195. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing evidence of the name's existence during the late 12th century.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the Nipe surname emerged, including Nype, Nepe, and Nyppe. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the interpretations of scribes who recorded the name in historical documents.
Several notable individuals have borne the Nipe surname throughout history. One example is John Nipe, a prominent merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who was born around 1520 and died in 1588. Another notable figure was Robert Nipe, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Scarborough in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, a family bearing the Nipe surname was associated with the village of Nipe Towers in Lincolnshire. This suggests a possible connection between the surname and a specific place name, further reinforcing its origins as a locational surname.
Other notable individuals with the Nipe surname include William Nipe (1632-1698), a prominent landowner in Nottinghamshire, and Richard Nipe (1745-1823), a renowned clockmaker from Yorkshire who crafted intricate timepieces during the late 18th century.
While the Nipe surname may have originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from their ancestral homeland. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the rolling hills and landscapes of medieval England, where the earliest bearers of this surname likely resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nipe
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nipe 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 Nipe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nipe
Nipe 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,187 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 19,187 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 14,480 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 Nipe 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 | #160,975 | #146,495 | 9.0% |
| Count | 100 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nipe bearers went from 100 to 114 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 14,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #146,495.
FAQ
Nipe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nipe?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Nipe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Nipe?
Nipe ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Nipe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nipe.
Has Nipe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nipe went from 100 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 14 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Nipe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipe, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Nipe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nipe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Nipe (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 Nipe mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "nipa", referring to the nipa palm plant. 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 Nipe (0.04 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 Nipe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.