2000
#13,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,037
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Pipkins
A diminutive form of the given name Philip, or an occupational name for a maker or seller of pipes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,359 Americans carry the last name Pipkins. That puts it at #14,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pipkins 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
2.4K
1 in 145,296
Census rank
#14,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,057 bearers of the surname Pipkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pipkins
The surname Pipkins is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "pipe" or "pyppe," which referred to a small cylindrical musical instrument or a conduit for carrying water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the late 12th century, where a person named Walter Pipkin is mentioned as a land-holder. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, possibly referring to someone who made or played pipes.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire mention a William Pipkin, indicating the presence of the surname in that region as well. The variants "Pypekin" and "Pyppekyn" also appear in historical records from this time period.
Interestingly, the name Pipkins is also associated with a few place names in England, such as Pipkin's Farm in Berkshire and Pipkin's Lane in Oxfordshire. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or vice versa.
Notable historical figures with the surname Pipkins include John Pipkins (c. 1580-1644), an English colonist who settled in Virginia and served as a member of the House of Burgesses. Another prominent bearer of this name was Thomas Pipkins (1668-1732), a London merchant and landowner who acquired significant wealth through trade.
In the 19th century, Samuel Pipkins (1832-1901) was a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. Across the Atlantic, Ezekiel Pipkins (1845-1921) was an American farmer and Civil War veteran from Mississippi.
Finally, one cannot discuss the Pipkins surname without mentioning the renowned British artist and illustrator, Mary Pipkins (1892-1976), whose colorful and whimsical depictions of children and animals gained widespread acclaim during her lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pipkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pipkins 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 Pipkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.0% · 1,028
- White40.9% · 841
- Two or more races4.1% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pipkins
Pipkins 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
#14,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
+109 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#14,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,057
-89 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,658 | 2,037 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,038 | 2,146 | 0.73 | +109 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #14,026 | 2,057 | 0.69 | -89 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 12 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 Pipkins 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 | #14,038 | #14,026 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,146 | 2,057 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.69 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pipkins bearers went from 2,146 to 2,057 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,038 to #14,026.
FAQ
Pipkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pipkins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,359 living Americans carry the surname Pipkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,296 residents.
How common is Pipkins?
Pipkins ranks #14,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,057 people with the surname Pipkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,359), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Pipkins.
Has Pipkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pipkins went from 2,146 recorded bearers to 2,057. That is a decrease of 89 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,038 to #14,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Pipkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pipkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (1,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pipkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.0%), White (40.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Pipkins (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 Pipkins mean?
A diminutive form of the given name Philip, or an occupational name for a maker or seller of pipes. 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 Pipkins (0.69 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 Pipkins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.