2000
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Ripple
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a small brook or stream, or worked as a seller of fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,751 Americans carry the last name Ripple. That puts it at #12,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,593 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ripple 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
2.8K
1 in 124,593
Census rank
#12,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,399 bearers of the surname Ripple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripple, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ripple
The surname Ripple originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "rippl," which means a small stream or a body of water with a disturbed surface. This name was likely first used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a rippling brook or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ripple surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Ripple is mentioned. The surname also appears in various other historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Hearth Tax Returns of Gloucestershire.
The Ripple surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire, where many early bearers of the name were landowners or resided near bodies of water. Some of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname include Ripple in Worcestershire and Ripley in Yorkshire.
One notable individual with the Ripple surname was William Ripple, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Worcester who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed funds towards the construction of several churches and charitable institutions in the region.
Another historically significant bearer of the Ripple name was John Ripple, a Protestant martyr from Gloucestershire who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I in 1556 for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, the Ripple surname was also found in the American colonies, with early immigrants such as Samuel Ripple, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682, and Thomas Ripple, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
Other notable individuals with the Ripple surname throughout history include:
1. Sir Geoffrey Ripple (1560-1628), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.
2. Mary Ripple (1698-1771), a Quaker settler in Pennsylvania known for her advocacy of women's rights and education.
3. John Ripple (1803-1870), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
4. Ezra Ripple (1851-1920), an American inventor and engineer who patented several innovative farming tools and machinery.
5. Constance Ripple (1879-1957), a British artist and illustrator renowned for her depictions of rural English life and landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ripple
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripple, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ripple 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 Ripple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,239
- Two or more races3.0% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 61
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ripple
Ripple 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
#11,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,745
+49 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 618 places
2020
#12,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,399
-346 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 896 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,851 | 2,696 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,469 | 2,745 | 0.93 | +49 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 618 places |
| 2020 | #12,365 | 2,399 | 0.80 | -346 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 896 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 Ripple 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 | #11,469 | #12,365 | -7.8% |
| Count | 2,745 | 2,399 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.80 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ripple bearers went from 2,745 to 2,399 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 896 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,469 to #12,365.
FAQ
Ripple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ripple?
Name Census estimates that about 2,751 living Americans carry the surname Ripple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,593 residents.
How common is Ripple?
Ripple ranks #12,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,399 people with the surname Ripple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Ripple.
Has Ripple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ripple went from 2,745 recorded bearers to 2,399. That is a decrease of 346 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,469 to #12,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Ripple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ripple, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ripple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ripple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ripple (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 Ripple mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a small brook or stream, or worked as a seller of fish. 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 Ripple (0.80 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 Ripple?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.