2000
#31,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Ripa
A surname derived from a place name, likely an Italian location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 884 Americans carry the last name Ripa. That puts it at #32,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 387,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ripa 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
884
1 in 387,731
Census rank
#32,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
771
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 771 bearers of the surname Ripa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripa, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ripa
The surname Ripa has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "ripa," which means "river bank" or "shore." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for individuals who lived near a river or coastal area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ripa can be found in the historic city of Rome. In the 13th century, there was a prominent family known as the Ripa, who owned land and properties along the banks of the Tiber River. This family played a significant role in the political and economic affairs of Rome during that era.
The name Ripa also appears in several Italian manuscripts and records from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Ripa in the tax records of the Republic of Venice, indicating their presence in that region.
One notable figure associated with the name Ripa was Giovanni Francesco Ripa (1560-1622), an Italian painter and architect from the late Renaissance period. He was known for his work on various churches and palaces in Rome, including his contributions to the design of St. Peter's Basilica.
Another prominent individual with the surname Ripa was Cesare Ripa (c. 1555-c. 1625), an Italian writer and iconographer. He is best known for his influential work, "Iconologia," which was a comprehensive guide to the symbolic representation of human qualities, virtues, and vices in art.
In the 17th century, there was a family with the name Ripa who owned a significant estate near the town of Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. This family was known for their involvement in the local wine industry and their patronage of the arts.
The name Ripa can also be found in various place names throughout Italy, such as Ripa Teatina, a town in the Abruzzo region, and Ripa Presso Tione, a village in the Trentino-Alto Adige region. These place names likely originated from their proximity to rivers or other bodies of water, reflecting the meaning of the word "ripa."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Ripa, including:
1. Matteo Ripa (1682-1746), an Italian missionary and explorer who traveled to China in the 18th century.
2. Antonio Ripa (1718-1799), an Italian sculptor and architect known for his work in Rome and Naples.
3. Gian Francesco Ripa (1655-1726), an Italian painter and engraver who worked in Rome and Naples.
4. Ludovico Ripa (1500-1565), an Italian humanist and philosopher who taught at the University of Pavia.
5. Giambattista Ripa (1622-1685), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ripa
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripa, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ripa 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 Ripa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 635
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 43
- Two or more races4.7% · 36
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ripa
Ripa 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
#31,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 744
+37 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#32,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 771
+27 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 876 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,053 | 707 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,184 | 744 | 0.25 | +37 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #32,060 | 771 | 0.26 | +27 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 876 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 Ripa 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 | #31,184 | #32,060 | -2.8% |
| Count | 744 | 771 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.26 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ripa bearers went from 744 to 771 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 876 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,184 to #32,060.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ripa
FAQ
Ripa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ripa?
Name Census estimates that about 884 living Americans carry the surname Ripa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 387,731 residents.
How common is Ripa?
Ripa ranks #32,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 771 people with the surname Ripa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Ripa.
Has Ripa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ripa went from 744 recorded bearers to 771. That is an increase of 27 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,184 to #32,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Ripa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripa, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Ripa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ripa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Ripa (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 Ripa mean?
A surname derived from a place name, likely an Italian location. 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 Ripa (0.26 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 Ripa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.