2000
#17,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Peplinski
A Polish surname derived from the word "pieprz" meaning pepper, suggesting an association with spice trading or production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,775 Americans carry the last name Peplinski. That puts it at #17,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peplinski 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
1.8K
1 in 193,101
Census rank
#17,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,548 bearers of the surname Peplinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peplinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peplinski
The surname Peplinski originates from Poland, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "pieprz" meaning "pepper," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a pepper trader or someone involved in the spice trade.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often evolved from occupations, locations, or physical characteristics. The earliest recorded instance of the Peplinski name appears in the Ksiega Ziemska, a historical Polish land registry from the late 16th century. Here, the name was spelled "Peplenski" and referred to a family residing in the village of Peplin, located in the region of Masovia.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various church records and municipal documents across Poland, with variations in spelling such as "Peplinski," "Peplenski," and "Peplinsky." One notable figure from this era was Jan Peplinski (1620-1678), a renowned herbalist and apothecary who practiced in the city of Krakow.
As the centuries passed, the Peplinski name spread throughout Poland and eventually beyond its borders. In the late 18th century, a branch of the Peplinski family settled in the Prussian province of Pomerania, where the name was recorded as "Peplinsky" in local registries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Poland was in the Russian Empire. In the 19th century, a Ukrainian-born soldier named Fyodor Peplinski (1818-1887) served in the Imperial Russian Army and was awarded the prestigious Cross of St. George for his valor during the Crimean War.
Another notable bearer of the Peplinski name was Wladyslaw Peplinski (1866-1924), a Polish artist and painter who gained recognition for his landscape and portrait works. His paintings can be found in various museums across Poland and Europe.
Throughout the 20th century, the Peplinski name continued to be prominent, with individuals such as Janusz Peplinski (1928-2001), a renowned Polish mathematician and professor at the University of Warsaw, and Maria Peplinski (1902-1987), a Polish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Polish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peplinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Peplinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Peplinski 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 Peplinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,443
- Two or more races3.0% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peplinski
Peplinski 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
#17,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,570
+33 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 783 places
2020
#17,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,548
-22 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,040 | 1,537 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,823 | 1,570 | 0.53 | +33 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 783 places |
| 2020 | #17,798 | 1,548 | 0.52 | -22 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 25 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 Peplinski 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 | #17,823 | #17,798 | 0.1% |
| Count | 1,570 | 1,548 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.52 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peplinski bearers went from 1,570 to 1,548 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,823 to #17,798.
FAQ
Peplinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peplinski?
Name Census estimates that about 1,775 living Americans carry the surname Peplinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,101 residents.
How common is Peplinski?
Peplinski ranks #17,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,548 people with the surname Peplinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Peplinski.
Has Peplinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peplinski went from 1,570 recorded bearers to 1,548. That is a decrease of 22 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,823 to #17,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Peplinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peplinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Peplinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peplinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Peplinski (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 Peplinski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "pieprz" meaning pepper, suggesting an association with spice trading or production. 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 Peplinski (0.52 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 have the last name Peplinski?
You can see how common the surname Peplinski is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.