2000
#4,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,018
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.60
Rare Last name
Pippin
An occupational surname for a grower or seller of the pippin apple, or a nickname for a small or energetic person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,798 Americans carry the last name Pippin. That puts it at #5,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pippin 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 Pippin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,954
Census rank
#5,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,800 bearers of the surname Pippin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pippin
The surname Pippin is of Germanic origin and is derived from the medieval French personal name Pepin, which is itself derived from the Germanic given name Pippin, meaning "lover of the Franks". The surname is believed to have originated in the region of Franken in modern-day Germany during the 8th century AD.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Pippin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Pippin, Pippin, and Pippin.
One of the most notable historical figures to bear the surname Pippin was Pepin the Short (714-768 AD), who was the first Carolingian King of the Franks and the father of Charlemagne. He played a pivotal role in the expansion of the Frankish Empire and the establishment of the Carolingian dynasty.
Another prominent individual with the surname Pippin was Ralph Pippin (c. 1342-1412), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Derbyshire during the reign of King Richard II. He was also the founder of the village of Pippin in Derbyshire, which was named after him.
In the 16th century, John Pippin (c. 1520-1585) was an English landowner and member of the gentry from Wiltshire. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his support for the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, William Pippin (1648-1713) was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist. He is credited with introducing several new plant species to England and publishing works on gardening and horticulture.
Another notable figure with the surname Pippin was Sir Godfrey Pippin (1784-1864), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament for Dorset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pippin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pippin 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 Pippin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 5,952
- Black or African American4.4% · 297
- Two or more races4.1% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pippin
Pippin 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
#4,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,326
+308 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#5,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,800
-526 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,618 | 7,018 | 2.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,818 | 7,326 | 2.48 | +308 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #5,002 | 6,800 | 2.28 | -526 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 184 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 Pippin 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 | #4,818 | #5,002 | -3.8% |
| Count | 7,326 | 6,800 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.28 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pippin bearers went from 7,326 to 6,800 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,818 to #5,002.
FAQ
Pippin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pippin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,798 living Americans carry the surname Pippin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,954 residents.
How common is Pippin?
Pippin ranks #5,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,800 people with the surname Pippin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pippin.
Has Pippin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pippin went from 7,326 recorded bearers to 6,800. That is a decrease of 526 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,818 to #5,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Pippin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pippin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pippin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (5,952 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pippin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.4%), 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 Pippin (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 Pippin mean?
An occupational surname for a grower or seller of the pippin apple, or a nickname for a small or energetic person. 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 Pippin (2.28 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 Pippin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.