2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Roppelt
Derived from a German occupational term meaning a roper or rope maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Roppelt. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roppelt 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Roppelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roppelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roppelt
The surname Roppelt is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and parts of Austria during the late Middle Ages and early modern period, around the 15th to 17th centuries. It is believed to derive from the Old German word "rop," meaning "rope," or "ropp," meaning "bundle," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with occupations related to rope-making or bundle-making.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Roppelt can be traced back to the 16th century in various German records and documents. One notable example is Johann Roppelt, a rope-maker from Nuremberg, whose name appears in the city's guild records from 1562. Another early reference is found in the 1589 parish records of Bamberg, where a certain Hans Roppelt is mentioned as a resident.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several regional records, such as the baptismal records of the town of Regensburg, where a child named Maria Roppelt was born in 1621 to parents with the same surname. Additionally, the 1674 tax records of the city of Munich list a family by the name of Roppelt among the taxpayers.
While not a particularly widespread surname, Roppelt has been carried by a few notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Friedrich Roppelt (1775-1841), a German composer and musician who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the Regensburg Cathedral in the early 19th century.
Another figure was Karl Roppelt (1832-1898), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (German Parliament) from 1871 to 1874, representing the city of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland).
In the 20th century, a prominent individual with the surname was Gerhard Roppelt (1909-1995), a German engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early computer technology, particularly in the field of magnetic storage devices.
It's worth noting that the surname Roppelt has also been subject to variations in spelling over time, with alternative forms such as Ropelt, Roppeldt, and Roppold appearing in historical records from different regions of Germany and neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roppelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Roppelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Roppelt 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 Roppelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roppelt
Roppelt 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+18 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,254 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-19 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 8,254 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 17,396 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 Roppelt 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 | #135,593 | #152,989 | -12.8% |
| Count | 124 | 105 | -15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roppelt bearers went from 124 to 105 (-15.3% change). The surname moved down 17,396 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #152,989.
FAQ
Roppelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roppelt?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Roppelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Roppelt?
Roppelt ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Roppelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Roppelt.
Has Roppelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roppelt went from 124 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Roppelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roppelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Roppelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roppelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Black (1.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Roppelt (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 Roppelt mean?
Derived from a German occupational term meaning a roper or rope maker. 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 Roppelt (0.04 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 Roppelt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.