2000
#7,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,982
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Nipper
A surname derived from a Middle English nickname for a young boy or a small person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,238 Americans carry the last name Nipper. That puts it at #8,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,876 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nipper 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 Nipper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,876
Census rank
#8,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,696 bearers of the surname Nipper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nipper
The surname NIPPER has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle English word "nipper," which referred to a mischievous or cheeky person, particularly a child. This term may have been used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with a playful or mischievous demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NIPPER surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a John le Nipper. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname suggests that it was initially a descriptive name or occupation before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 14th century, variations of the name appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279, which lists a Walter le Nipper. The Placita de Quo Warranto from 1292 also mentions a Robert le Nypere, indicating a slightly different spelling.
As the surname evolved, it took on various forms, including Niper, Nypere, and Nypper, reflecting regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The more modern spelling, NIPPER, became more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries.
One notable figure bearing the NIPPER surname was Sir Robert Nipper (1550-1620), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Suffolk, England. He served as a Member of Parliament for Ipswich in 1597 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, founding a free school in his hometown.
Another historical figure with this surname was John Nipper (1620-1680), a Puritan minister and author from Lincolnshire. He wrote several religious works, including "The Christian's Armoury" and "The Spiritual Mustard-Seed," which gained popularity among Puritan communities in the 17th century.
In the literary world, Thomas Nipper (1785-1864) was a renowned English poet and author from Yorkshire. He published several collections of poetry, including "Musings of a Village Poet" and "The Cottage Muse," which captured the rural life and landscapes of northern England.
The NIPPER surname also has connections to place names, such as Nippers Green, a hamlet in Oxfordshire, which likely derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the NIPPER surname.
Another figure of note was Elizabeth Nipper (1830-1902), a prominent social reformer and women's rights advocate from Lancashire. She campaigned tirelessly for better working conditions for women and children in factories and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Married Women's Property Act of 1870.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nipper
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nipper 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 Nipper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 3,232
- Black or African American4.8% · 177
- Two or more races4.2% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nipper
Nipper 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
#7,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,157
+175 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 252 places
2020
#8,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,696
-461 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,706 | 3,982 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,958 | 4,157 | 1.41 | +175 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 252 places |
| 2020 | #8,548 | 3,696 | 1.24 | -461 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 590 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 Nipper 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 | #7,958 | #8,548 | -7.4% |
| Count | 4,157 | 3,696 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.24 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nipper bearers went from 4,157 to 3,696 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 590 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,958 to #8,548.
FAQ
Nipper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nipper?
Name Census estimates that about 4,238 living Americans carry the surname Nipper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,876 residents.
How common is Nipper?
Nipper ranks #8,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,696 people with the surname Nipper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Nipper.
Has Nipper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nipper went from 4,157 recorded bearers to 3,696. That is a decrease of 461 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,958 to #8,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Nipper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Nipper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (3,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nipper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Nipper (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 Nipper mean?
A surname derived from a Middle English nickname for a young boy or a small person. 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 Nipper (1.24 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 Nipper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.