2000
#2,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.15
Uncommon Last name
Rupp
A German occupational surname referring to a person who pulls (raufen) flax or hemp fibers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,567 Americans carry the last name Rupp. That puts it at #3,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rupp 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rupp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,274
Census rank
#3,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,959 bearers of the surname Rupp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rupp
The surname Rupp has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "ruppe," which means a clearing or a patch of land that has been cleared of trees or vegetation. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked as a land clearer or farmer.
The earliest recorded examples of the surname Rupp can be found in various German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the former Margraviate of Brandenburg, where the name Rupp appears in entries dated as far back as 1375.
In the 15th century, the surname Rupp was also found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. The name is mentioned in connection with various landowners and tradesmen of the time.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent some variations in spelling, such as Rupp, Rup, Rupe, and Ruppe. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Rupp was Konrad Rupp, a German theologian and humanist who lived from 1497 to 1535. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another notable figure with the surname Rupp was Johann Rupp, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1618 to 1684. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums across Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Rupp (1723-1791) was a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of natural theology. He was a professor at the University of Heidelberg and published several works on the relationship between science and religion.
The 19th century saw the rise of Johann Baptist Rupp (1811-1892), a German-American Catholic priest and historian. He is best known for his comprehensive work, "History of the Counties of Berks and Lebanon," which documented the early settlement and history of these regions in Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure with the surname Rupp was Hermann Rupp (1872-1948), a German architect and urban planner. He played a significant role in the development of modern city planning and is known for his work in the reconstruction of Dresden after World War II.
While the surname Rupp has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rupp
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rupp 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 Rupp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 10,204
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 318
- Two or more races2.6% · 289
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 85
- Black or African American0.4% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rupp
Rupp 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
#3,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,399
+200 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#3,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,959
-440 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,959 | 11,199 | 4.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,167 | 11,399 | 3.86 | +200 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #3,210 | 10,959 | 3.67 | -440 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 43 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 Rupp 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 | #3,167 | #3,210 | -1.4% |
| Count | 11,399 | 10,959 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.67 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rupp bearers went from 11,399 to 10,959 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,167 to #3,210.
FAQ
Rupp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rupp?
Name Census estimates that about 12,567 living Americans carry the surname Rupp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,274 residents.
How common is Rupp?
Rupp ranks #3,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,959 people with the surname Rupp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Rupp.
Has Rupp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rupp went from 11,399 recorded bearers to 10,959. That is a decrease of 440 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,167 to #3,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Rupp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rupp, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rupp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (10,204 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rupp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Rupp (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 Rupp mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who pulls (raufen) flax or hemp fibers. 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 Rupp (3.67 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 Rupp?
Want to know how many people are called Rupp? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.