2000
#9,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Pipes
An occupational surname referring to a player of pipe instruments or a maker of pipes or tubes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,500 Americans carry the last name Pipes. That puts it at #10,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pipes 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 Pipes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,930
Census rank
#10,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,052 bearers of the surname Pipes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pipes
The surname PIPES is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "pipe", referring to a maker or seller of pipes or tubes. The name was particularly prevalent in areas of England where pipe-making or related trades were common, such as London, Somerset, and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PIPES surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Pipe is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
Another early reference to the PIPES name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a William le Pipere. The use of the prefix "le" before an occupational surname was common practice in medieval times.
In the 14th century, the PIPES surname is documented in several historical records, including the Poll Tax of Yorkshire from 1379, which mentions a John Pypere. The variant spelling "Pypere" reflects the evolution of the name over time.
One notable individual with the PIPES surname was Sir Richard Pipes (1523-1599), an English courtier and soldier who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted in 1588 for his military service.
Another significant figure was Reverend John Pipes (1670-1736), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Horsmonden in Kent. He published several works on theology and sermons during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, William Pipes (1720-1789) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary-le-Strand.
The PIPES surname also has connections to place names, such as Pipe Ridware in Staffordshire and Pipe Aston in Derbyshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals with the PIPES surname who resided or held property there.
Other notable individuals with the PIPES surname include William Pipes (1825-1899), a British painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes, and John Pipes (1905-1992), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Cardinals and coached at several universities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pipes
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pipes 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 Pipes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 2,382
- Black or African American13.7% · 417
- Two or more races4.6% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pipes
Pipes 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
#10,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,136
-10 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 801 places
2020
#10,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,052
-84 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,479 | 3,146 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,280 | 3,136 | 1.06 | -10 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 801 places |
| 2020 | #10,065 | 3,052 | 1.02 | -84 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 215 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 Pipes 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 | #10,280 | #10,065 | 2.1% |
| Count | 3,136 | 3,052 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.02 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pipes bearers went from 3,136 to 3,052 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,280 to #10,065.
FAQ
Pipes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pipes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,500 living Americans carry the surname Pipes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,930 residents.
How common is Pipes?
Pipes ranks #10,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,052 people with the surname Pipes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Pipes.
Has Pipes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pipes went from 3,136 recorded bearers to 3,052. That is a decrease of 84 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,280 to #10,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Pipes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pipes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (2,382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pipes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pipes (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 Pipes mean?
An occupational surname referring to a player of pipe instruments or a maker of pipes or tubes. 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 Pipes (1.02 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 Pipes?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Pipes is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.