2000
#10,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,912
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Rippy
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with curly or unruly hair, from the Middle English word "rip."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,081 Americans carry the last name Rippy. That puts it at #11,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rippy 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 111,248
Census rank
#11,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,687 bearers of the surname Rippy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rippy
The surname Rippy originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Lancashire. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ripig," which means "reaper" or "harvester." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in agricultural work, specifically in the harvesting of crops.
The name Rippy has been recorded in various historical documents, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rippy" and "Rippig." These early spellings reflect the phonetic variations common in the Middle Ages, when spelling was not yet standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rippy dates back to the 13th century, when a John Rippy was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Rippy, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332.
The name Rippy is also associated with various place names in England, such as Rippy Farm in Lancashire and Rippy Brook in Cheshire. These place names likely originated from the surname itself, indicating areas where families with the Rippy name settled or had a significant presence.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Rippy. One such person was Sir John Rippy (1540-1612), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was Captain Thomas Rippy (1678-1746), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century and was involved in several battles against the French and Spanish fleets.
In the literary world, James Rippy (1810-1871) was an English poet and writer who gained recognition for his collections of poetry and his work as a journalist in London during the Victorian era.
Benjamin Rippy (1842-1919) was an American Civil War veteran and farmer from Missouri, who served in the Union Army and later became a prominent figure in the local community.
Lastly, Sarah Rippy (1890-1972) was a British educator and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged children in London's East End during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rippy
Among Census respondents with the surname Rippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rippy 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 Rippy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 2,088
- Black or African American13.4% · 360
- Two or more races4.8% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rippy
Rippy 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
#10,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,048
+136 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 354 places
2020
#11,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,687
-361 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,171 | 2,912 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,525 | 3,048 | 1.03 | +136 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 354 places |
| 2020 | #11,248 | 2,687 | 0.90 | -361 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 723 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 Rippy 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 | #10,525 | #11,248 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,048 | 2,687 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.90 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rippy bearers went from 3,048 to 2,687 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 723 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,525 to #11,248.
FAQ
Rippy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rippy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,081 living Americans carry the surname Rippy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,248 residents.
How common is Rippy?
Rippy ranks #11,248 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 2,687 people with the surname Rippy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,081), 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 Rippy.
Has Rippy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rippy went from 3,048 recorded bearers to 2,687. That is a decrease of 361 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,525 to #11,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Rippy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Rippy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (2,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rippy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Rippy (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 Rippy mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with curly or unruly hair, from the Middle English word "rip." 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 Rippy (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 many Americans have the surname Rippy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.