2000
#4,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,875
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Rupert
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Rupert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining renown."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,505 Americans carry the last name Rupert. That puts it at #4,633 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,300 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rupert 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
8.5K
1 in 40,300
Census rank
#4,633
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,417 bearers of the surname Rupert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4633rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupert, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rupert
The surname Rupert originated in Germany, specifically in the areas of Bavaria and Austria. It is derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning fame or glory, and "berht" meaning bright. The name first appeared in records dating back to the 8th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rupert can be found in the Codex Traditionum of the monastery of Regensburg in Bavaria, where a landowner named Ruopreht is mentioned in a document from the year 819. The name also appears in the Codex Falkensteinensis, a manuscript from the 12th century, which lists a knight named Rupertus de Falkenstein.
The surname Rupert is closely associated with several notable historical figures. One of the most famous was Saint Rupert, also known as Rupert of Salzburg (c. 660 – 710), who is credited with establishing Christianity in Bavaria and Austria. He founded the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg, which became a center of learning and culture during the Middle Ages.
Another prominent individual with the surname Rupert was Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619 – 1682), a German nobleman and military leader who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He is known for his daring cavalry charges and his involvement in the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.
In the 13th century, a family named Rupert held significant influence in the region of Alsace, France. One member, Johannes Rupert (c. 1250 – 1322), served as the Mayor of Strasbourg and played a crucial role in the city's political and economic affairs.
During the Renaissance period, a German artist and printmaker named Christoph Rupert (c. 1550 – 1614) achieved renown for his intricate engravings and etchings, which depicted religious and mythological scenes.
The surname Rupert has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe, such as Ruppertsburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and Ruppertshofen in Lower Austria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rupert
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupert, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rupert 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 Rupert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 6,181
- Black or African American8.7% · 647
- Two or more races3.6% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 232
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rupert
Rupert 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
#4,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,936
+61 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#4,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,417
-519 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,173 | 7,875 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,474 | 7,936 | 2.69 | +61 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #4,633 | 7,417 | 2.48 | -519 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 159 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 Rupert 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 | #4,474 | #4,633 | -3.6% |
| Count | 7,936 | 7,417 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.69 | 2.48 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rupert bearers went from 7,936 to 7,417 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,474 to #4,633.
FAQ
Rupert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rupert?
Name Census estimates that about 8,505 living Americans carry the surname Rupert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,300 residents.
How common is Rupert?
Rupert ranks #4,633 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,417 people with the surname Rupert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rupert.
Has Rupert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rupert went from 7,936 recorded bearers to 7,417. That is a decrease of 519 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,474 to #4,633.
What does the Census say about the background of Rupert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupert, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rupert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (6,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rupert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (8.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rupert (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 Rupert mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Rupert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining renown." 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 Rupert (2.48 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 Rupert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.