2000
#12,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Sipple
An English occupational surname derived from the Middle English word "sip" or "sippe," meaning a small stream or ditch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,291 Americans carry the last name Sipple. That puts it at #14,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,609 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sipple 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 149,609
Census rank
#14,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,998 bearers of the surname Sipple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sipple
The surname Sipple is of German origin, first appearing in records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "sipeln," which means "to drip slowly." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a spring or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sipple can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the German state of Hessen in the late 1500s. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Hessen and Rhineland-Palatinate, where it was often spelled as "Sippel" or "Sippele."
In the 17th century, the name started appearing in various European manuscripts and records, such as the Württembergisches Klosterbuch (Württemberg Monastery Book) from 1687, which mentioned a certain Johann Sipple from the village of Kirchheim.
One notable bearer of the Sipple surname was Johann Wilhelm Sipple (1710-1789), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on religious philosophy. Another early individual with this name was Christoph Sipple (1655-1723), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate etchings and engravings of landscapes and architectural scenes.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Sippel, Sippele, and Sippele. In some regions, the name was also recorded as Sipplen or Siplen.
In the 19th century, the Sipple name began appearing in various parts of North America, likely due to immigration from German-speaking regions of Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is that of Jacob Sipple (1789-1867), a farmer and landowner from Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure with the Sipple surname was Johann Georg Sipple (1802-1873), a German-American artist and engraver who immigrated to the United States in the 1830s and became known for his detailed engravings of historical events and landscapes.
Throughout its history, the Sipple surname has been associated with various professions, including theology, art, and agriculture, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sipple
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sipple 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 Sipple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,758
- Black or African American5.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 61
- Two or more races2.7% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sipple
Sipple 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
#12,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,365
+80 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 523 places
2020
#14,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
-367 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,420 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,458 | 2,285 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,981 | 2,365 | 0.80 | +80 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 523 places |
| 2020 | #14,401 | 1,998 | 0.67 | -367 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 1,420 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 Sipple 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 | #12,981 | #14,401 | -10.9% |
| Count | 2,365 | 1,998 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.67 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sipple bearers went from 2,365 to 1,998 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 1,420 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,981 to #14,401.
FAQ
Sipple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sipple?
Name Census estimates that about 2,291 living Americans carry the surname Sipple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,609 residents.
How common is Sipple?
Sipple ranks #14,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,998 people with the surname Sipple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Sipple.
Has Sipple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sipple went from 2,365 recorded bearers to 1,998. That is a decrease of 367 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,981 to #14,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Sipple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Sipple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sipple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (5.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Sipple (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 Sipple mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Middle English word "sip" or "sippe," meaning a small stream or ditch. 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 Sipple (0.67 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 many people are called Sipple?
See how many people have the surname Sipple on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.