2000
#3,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Skipper
A nickname for a ship's captain, later adopted as a surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,065 Americans carry the last name Skipper. That puts it at #3,597 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skipper 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 Skipper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,976
Census rank
#3,597
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,649 bearers of the surname Skipper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3597th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skipper
The surname SKIPPER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scipere," which referred to a boatman or sailor. This occupation-based surname first emerged in the coastal regions of England during the late medieval period, particularly in areas with significant maritime activities.
One of the earliest documented references to the SKIPPER name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1327, where a Robert le Skippere is recorded. The use of the prefix "le" indicates the occupational nature of the surname during that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Skipere, Skippere, and Schipper, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. This is evident in records from Essex, where a John Skippere was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1381.
The SKIPPER surname is also associated with certain place names in England, such as Skipper's Isle, a small island off the coast of Essex, and Skipper's Hill, a location in Kent. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the SKIPPER surname who lived or worked in those areas.
One notable figure with the SKIPPER surname was Thomas Skipper (c. 1508-1572), an English merchant and ship owner from King's Lynn, Norfolk. He was a prominent figure in the town's maritime trade and served as its mayor in 1558.
Another significant individual was Sir William Skipper (c. 1560-1635), an English naval commander and explorer. He played a crucial role in several expeditions to the West Indies and North America, and his exploits were documented in contemporary accounts.
In the 17th century, the SKIPPER surname can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, indicating the migration of individuals with this surname to the New World. One such early settler was John Skipper, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
The SKIPPER name also has connections to the Dutch language, where "schipper" means "captain" or "skipper." This suggests potential links between the English and Dutch maritime communities, which may have influenced the adoption and spread of the surname.
By the 18th century, the SKIPPER surname had become well-established in various parts of England, with notable individuals such as Richard Skipper (1707-1783), a successful merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, and William Skipper (1728-1804), a prominent architect and surveyor from Norfolk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skipper
Among Census respondents with the surname Skipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Skipper 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 Skipper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 7,075
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,720
- Two or more races4.4% · 424
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 315
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skipper
Skipper 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
#3,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,338
+328 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#3,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,649
-689 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 3.23
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,285 | 10,010 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,457 | 10,338 | 3.50 | +328 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #3,597 | 9,649 | 3.23 | -689 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 140 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 Skipper 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 | #3,457 | #3,597 | -4.0% |
| Count | 10,338 | 9,649 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.50 | 3.23 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skipper bearers went from 10,338 to 9,649 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,457 to #3,597.
FAQ
Skipper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skipper?
Name Census estimates that about 11,065 living Americans carry the surname Skipper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,976 residents.
How common is Skipper?
Skipper ranks #3,597 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,649 people with the surname Skipper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Skipper.
Has Skipper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skipper went from 10,338 recorded bearers to 9,649. That is a decrease of 689 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,457 to #3,597.
What does the Census say about the background of Skipper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skipper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Skipper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (7,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skipper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (17.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Skipper (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 Skipper mean?
A nickname for a ship's captain, later adopted as a surname. 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 Skipper (3.23 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 surname Skipper?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.