2000
#12,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Ropp
Derived from Middle Low German "rop" or "ropp," referring to a person who braids rope or cordage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,543 Americans carry the last name Ropp. That puts it at #13,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ropp 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
2.5K
1 in 134,783
Census rank
#13,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,218 bearers of the surname Ropp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ropp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ropp
The surname Ropp has its origins in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "ropp," which means "robust" or "sturdy." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a strong or well-built physique.
One of the earliest documented references to the Ropp surname can be found in the records of the town of Göttingen, located in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 1587, a man named Hans Ropp was recorded as a resident of the town, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
The Ropp surname later spread to other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Westphalia and Rhineland. In the 18th century, the name appeared in various church records and local registers, such as the baptismal records of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the town of Wülfrath, Rhineland.
Notable individuals with the Ropp surname include Johann Ropp (1711-1783), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Essen. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Ropp (1766-1834), a German jurist and legal scholar who worked as a professor of law at the University of Marburg.
In the 19th century, the Ropp surname gained recognition with the birth of Eduard Ropp (1851-1939), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on military history and strategy. His most famous work, "The Decisive Battles of the World," published in 1891, became a seminal text in the field of military studies.
Another notable individual was Georg Ropp (1880-1966), a German-born American architect who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. He designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Ropp Residence, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While the Ropp surname is primarily associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, likely due to migration patterns and intermarriages over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ropp
Among Census respondents with the surname Ropp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ropp 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 Ropp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,040
- Two or more races3.7% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ropp
Ropp 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
#13,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
+4 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 885 places
2020
#13,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,218
-52 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,542 | 2,266 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,427 | 2,270 | 0.77 | +4 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 885 places |
| 2020 | #13,196 | 2,218 | 0.74 | -52 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 231 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 Ropp 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 | #13,427 | #13,196 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,270 | 2,218 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.74 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ropp bearers went from 2,270 to 2,218 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,427 to #13,196.
FAQ
Ropp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ropp?
Name Census estimates that about 2,543 living Americans carry the surname Ropp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,783 residents.
How common is Ropp?
Ropp ranks #13,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,218 people with the surname Ropp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Ropp.
Has Ropp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ropp went from 2,270 recorded bearers to 2,218. That is a decrease of 52 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,427 to #13,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Ropp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ropp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ropp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ropp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Ropp (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 Ropp mean?
Derived from Middle Low German "rop" or "ropp," referring to a person who braids rope or cordage. 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 Ropp (0.74 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 Ropp?
Find out how many people have the surname Ropp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.