2000
#16,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,656
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Pippen
A habitational surname referring to someone from Pippin, a town in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,857 Americans carry the last name Pippen. That puts it at #17,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pippen 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
1.9K
1 in 184,574
Census rank
#17,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,619 bearers of the surname Pippen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippen, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.1%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pippen
The surname Pippen has its roots in the Old English language and is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "pipe," which referred to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for people living near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pippen can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties conducted in 1086 under the commission of William the Conqueror. The entry lists a person named Godwine Pippen, who held land in the county of Lincolnshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Pippen appeared in various historical records, often in slightly different spellings such as Pipun, Pypyn, and Pippin. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Pippen was William Pippen, a renowned Catholic priest and scholar who lived from 1515 to 1594. He was known for his contributions to theological studies and his writings on religious topics.
Another prominent individual with the surname Pippen was Sir Henry Pippen, an English military officer who served in the Parliamentarian army during the English Civil War in the 17th century. He fought in several key battles and played a role in the establishment of the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, John Pippen (1719-1796) was a successful merchant and landowner in the American colonies. He was actively involved in the community and held various local leadership positions in his town.
During the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Pippen was Mary Pippen (1832-1911), an American author and social reformer. She wrote extensively on women's rights and advocated for the abolition of slavery.
The surname Pippen has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Pippen Hill in Nottinghamshire, Pippen's Field in Sussex, and Pippen's Brook in Kent. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Pippen surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pippen
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippen, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.1%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pippen 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 Pippen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.1% · 778
- Black or African American44.1% · 714
- Two or more races4.0% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pippen
Pippen 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
#17,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,668
+12 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 959 places
2020
#17,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,619
-49 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,074 | 1,656 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,033 | 1,668 | 0.57 | +12 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 959 places |
| 2020 | #17,129 | 1,619 | 0.54 | -49 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 96 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 Pippen 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 | #17,033 | #17,129 | -0.6% |
| Count | 1,668 | 1,619 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.54 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pippen bearers went from 1,668 to 1,619 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,033 to #17,129.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pippen
FAQ
Pippen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pippen?
Name Census estimates that about 1,857 living Americans carry the surname Pippen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,574 residents.
How common is Pippen?
Pippen ranks #17,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,619 people with the surname Pippen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,857), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Pippen.
Has Pippen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pippen went from 1,668 recorded bearers to 1,619. That is a decrease of 49 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,033 to #17,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Pippen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippen, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.1%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pippen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.1% (778 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pippen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.1%), Black (44.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pippen (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 Pippen mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Pippin, a town in France. 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 Pippen (0.54 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 Pippen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.