2000
#10,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Repp
Derived from a German nickname for a quick or clever person, from Middle High German "reppe" meaning "quick movement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,090 Americans carry the last name Repp. That puts it at #11,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Repp 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
3.1K
1 in 110,924
Census rank
#11,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,695 bearers of the surname Repp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Repp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Repp
The surname Repp is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "rippe," which means "rib" or "ridge," and likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Repp can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a Heinricus Reppe in the year 1375.
In the 15th century, the name Repp appears in various records from the region of Bavaria, such as the Urbarium Monacense, a register of properties and tenants from the Monastery of Munich, which lists a Hanns Repp in 1491.
The name Repp has also been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Reppenhausen in the district of Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg, which was first mentioned in records as "Reppinhusen" in 1245.
Among notable individuals with the surname Repp throughout history are Johann Jakob Repp (1776-1836), a German composer and music theorist who wrote several treatises on music theory and composition. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Repp (1801-1859), a German architect and builder who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Stuttgart.
In the 19th century, the name Repp gained some prominence with the birth of Charles Frederick Repp (1844-1924), an American businessman and banker who co-founded the National Bank of Commerce in New York City. Another notable figure was Eduard Repp (1835-1900), a German architect who designed several buildings in the city of Cologne.
The 20th century saw the rise of several individuals with the surname Repp, including the German painter and graphic artist Ernst Repp (1915-1995), whose works are part of the collections of various museums in Germany and Switzerland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Repp
Among Census respondents with the surname Repp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Repp 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 Repp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,474
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 98
- Two or more races2.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Repp
Repp 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
#10,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,895
+49 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 611 places
2020
#11,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
-200 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,375 | 2,846 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,986 | 2,895 | 0.98 | +49 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 611 places |
| 2020 | #11,219 | 2,695 | 0.90 | -200 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 233 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 Repp 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 | #10,986 | #11,219 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,895 | 2,695 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.90 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Repp bearers went from 2,895 to 2,695 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,986 to #11,219.
FAQ
Repp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Repp?
Name Census estimates that about 3,090 living Americans carry the surname Repp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,924 residents.
How common is Repp?
Repp ranks #11,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,695 people with the surname Repp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Repp.
Has Repp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Repp went from 2,895 recorded bearers to 2,695. That is a decrease of 200 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,986 to #11,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Repp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Repp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Repp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Repp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Repp (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 Repp mean?
Derived from a German nickname for a quick or clever person, from Middle High German "reppe" meaning "quick movement." 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 Repp (0.90 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 common is the surname Repp?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Repp at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.