2000
#13,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,037
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sippel
Derived from the Middle High German word "sippel," referring to a blood relative or kinsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,254 Americans carry the last name Sippel. That puts it at #14,561 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,065 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sippel 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
2.3K
1 in 152,065
Census rank
#14,561
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,966 bearers of the surname Sippel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14561st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sippel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sippel
The surname SIPPEL is believed to have originated in the regions of what is now modern-day Germany. It likely emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sipp" or "sippe," which referred to a kinship or family group. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals as belonging to a particular clan or extended family unit.
One of the earliest known records of the SIPPEL name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in a manuscript from the town of Worms, located in the Rhine-Main region of Germany. The name is documented as "Sippele," which is likely an early variation of the modern spelling. During this period, surnames were becoming more widespread as a way to distinguish individuals from one another, especially in larger settlements and urban areas.
In the 14th century, the SIPPEL name can be found in various records from the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. One notable individual from this time was Hans SIPPEL, a merchant and guild member who lived in Nuremberg in the late 1300s.
As the name spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Sippele, Sipplen, and Sippelen. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, the SIPPEL name appears in records from the town of Magdeburg, located in what is now the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. One notable individual from this era was Joachim SIPPEL, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who lived from 1523 to 1583.
Another significant figure in the history of the SIPPEL surname was Johann SIPPEL, a German composer and organist who lived from 1667 to 1716. He was renowned for his contributions to sacred music and served as the organist at the Stadtkirche in Darmstadt, a city in the state of Hesse, Germany.
In the 19th century, the SIPPEL name can be found in various records from the Rhineland region of Germany, particularly in the areas around Cologne and Düsseldorf. One notable individual from this time was Wilhelm SIPPEL, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1840 to 1905 and was known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Throughout the centuries, the SIPPEL surname has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Sippelberg, Sippelhausen, and Sippelsdorf, which may have contributed to the development and spread of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sippel
Among Census respondents with the surname Sippel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sippel 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 Sippel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,836
- Two or more races2.9% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sippel
Sippel 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
#14,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,095
+58 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 636 places
2020
#14,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
-129 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,658 | 2,037 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,294 | 2,095 | 0.71 | +58 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 636 places |
| 2020 | #14,561 | 1,966 | 0.66 | -129 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 267 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 Sippel 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 | #14,294 | #14,561 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,095 | 1,966 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.66 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sippel bearers went from 2,095 to 1,966 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,294 to #14,561.
FAQ
Sippel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sippel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,254 living Americans carry the surname Sippel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,065 residents.
How common is Sippel?
Sippel ranks #14,561 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,966 people with the surname Sippel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Sippel.
Has Sippel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sippel went from 2,095 recorded bearers to 1,966. That is a decrease of 129 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,294 to #14,561.
What does the Census say about the background of Sippel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sippel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sippel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sippel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sippel (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 Sippel mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "sippel," referring to a blood relative or kinsman. 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 Sippel (0.66 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 have the last name Sippel?
See how many people have the last name Sippel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.