2000
#16,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Ripp
A topographic name referring to someone living on a ridge or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,051 Americans carry the last name Ripp. That puts it at #15,716 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ripp 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
2.1K
1 in 167,116
Census rank
#15,716
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,789 bearers of the surname Ripp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15716th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ripp
The surname RIPP is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Middle High German word "rippe," meaning "rib" or "strip of land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a long, narrow strip of land or a rib-like geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Bayreuth, Bavaria, from the year 1537. Here, a certain Johann Ripp is mentioned as a landowner and farmer. In the nearby town of Erlangen, church records from 1591 list a Margaretha Ripp as the wife of a local tradesman.
The Ripp name appears to have spread throughout various regions of Germany over the following centuries. In the late 1600s, a family by the name of Ripp settled in the town of Schönau, in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. This branch of the family is known to have produced several notable figures, including Jakob Ripp (1674-1748), a respected master craftsman and woodcarver.
As the name spread, various spelling variations emerged, such as Ripp, Rippe, and Rippel. These variations can be found in historical records from different parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the RIPP surname outside of Germany was Hans Ripp, a Swiss merchant who lived in Basel in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Ripp (1695-1768), a German-born composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
In the 19th century, the name gained some prominence in the literary world with the writer and philosopher Karl Ripp (1820-1883), who was born in the town of Bruchsal, Baden. Another noteworthy individual from this period was the Bavarian painter and illustrator Franz Ripp (1834-1901).
While the RIPP surname is most commonly associated with Germany and its surrounding regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world through emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the development of surnames in the German-speaking lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ripp
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ripp 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 Ripp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,659
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 55
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ripp
Ripp 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
#16,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,779
+164 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 183 places
2020
#15,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
+10 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 512 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,411 | 1,615 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,228 | 1,779 | 0.60 | +164 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 183 places |
| 2020 | #15,716 | 1,789 | 0.60 | +10 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 512 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 Ripp 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 | #16,228 | #15,716 | 3.2% |
| Count | 1,779 | 1,789 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.60 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ripp bearers went from 1,779 to 1,789 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 512 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,228 to #15,716.
FAQ
Ripp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ripp?
Name Census estimates that about 2,051 living Americans carry the surname Ripp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,116 residents.
How common is Ripp?
Ripp ranks #15,716 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,789 people with the surname Ripp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Ripp.
Has Ripp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ripp went from 1,779 recorded bearers to 1,789. That is an increase of 10 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,228 to #15,716.
What does the Census say about the background of Ripp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ripp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ripp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ripp (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 Ripp mean?
A topographic name referring to someone living on a ridge or hill. 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 Ripp (0.60 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 Ripp?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Ripp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.