2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pippett
An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Pipkin or Pippin, a diminutive of Philip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Pippett. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pippett 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 Pippett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Pippett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pippett
The surname Pippett is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English personal name "Pippa" or "Pippin," which itself comes from the Germanic root "Pip," meaning a seed or pip of a fruit.
The earliest known record of the Pippett name dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, where it was spelled as "Pypet." This variation suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was involved in the cultivation or trade of fruits or seeds.
In the 14th century, the Pippett surname appeared in several tax records and legal documents across various regions of England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. These records showcase different spellings, such as "Pippett," "Pypett," and "Pippit."
One notable early bearer of the Pippett name was John Pippett, a landowner and yeoman farmer who lived in the village of Bampton, Oxfordshire, in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the local wool trade and held a substantial amount of land in the area.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pippett surname became more widespread across England, with several families bearing the name residing in counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. One prominent figure from this period was William Pippett, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who lived from 1589 to 1661.
In the 18th century, the Pippett surname gained further recognition with the rise of Robert Pippett, a renowned lawyer and judge who was born in Warwickshire in 1720. He served as a magistrate in London and was known for his expertise in criminal law.
Throughout the 19th century, the Pippett name continued to be represented in various professions, including academia, literature, and the arts. One such individual was Thomas Pippett, a scholar and writer who was born in Bath in 1812 and authored several works on English literature and history.
Another notable figure from this era was Elizabeth Pippett, a celebrated actress and singer who graced the stages of London's theaters in the mid-19th century. Born in 1835, she was particularly renowned for her performances in operatic roles.
As the Pippett surname spread across England and beyond, it often evolved into different spellings and variations, such as "Pippitt," "Pippit," and "Pipett." These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences that shaped the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pippett
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pippett 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 Pippett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pippett
Pippett appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+9 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 10,266 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 Pippett 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 | #159,712 | #149,446 | 6.4% |
| Count | 101 | 110 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pippett bearers went from 101 to 110 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 10,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #149,446.
FAQ
Pippett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pippett?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Pippett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Pippett?
Pippett ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Pippett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pippett.
Has Pippett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pippett went from 101 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 9 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Pippett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Pippett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pippett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Pippett (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 Pippett mean?
An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Pipkin or Pippin, a diminutive of Philip. 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 Pippett (0.04 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 surname Pippett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.