2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Teape
An English habitational surname originating from a place name, possibly referring to someone from a settlement near a peak or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Teape. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teape 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Teape in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teape, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.3%) and White (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teape
The surname Teape is an English name with origins dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'top' or 'topp', which referred to a hill or a high point in the landscape. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who lived near a prominent hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Teape surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The entry refers to a person named Walter atte Toppe, indicating the use of the 'top' or 'topp' element in a surname.
In medieval times, surnames were often influenced by topographical features, occupations, or personal characteristics. The name Teape likely evolved from a descriptive phrase such as "at the top" or "by the hill," eventually becoming a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
During the 14th century, various spellings of the name appeared in historical records, including Toppe, Topp, and Tope. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One notable individual with the Teape surname was John Toppe, who lived in the late 14th century and was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire. These records provide insights into the daily lives and legal matters of people living in the area during that period.
Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Tope, born around 1450 in Oxfordshire, England. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in various local records from the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Teape surname appeared in several parish records, such as the baptism of William Topp in 1569 at St. Mary's Church in Nottingham.
One famous bearer of the Teape surname was Sir Thomas Tope (1560-1629), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1611. He was involved in the East India Company and played a significant role in trade with the East Indies.
During the 17th century, the name was also found in various parts of England, including the baptism of Joane Teape in 1633 at St. Mary's Church in Bishophill, Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the Teape surname was Captain John Teape (1732-1801), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries passed, the Teape surname continued to be used throughout England, with variations in spelling and pronunciation occurring in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teape
Among Census respondents with the surname Teape, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.3%) and White (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Teape 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 Teape surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.3% · 66
- Two or more races16.3% · 16
- White8.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teape
Teape appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-17 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 12,128 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 Teape 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 | #144,141 | #156,269 | -8.4% |
| Count | 115 | 98 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teape bearers went from 115 to 98 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 12,128 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,269.
FAQ
Teape surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teape?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Teape. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Teape?
Teape ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Teape. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Teape.
Has Teape become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teape went from 115 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Teape?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teape, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.3%) and White (8.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Teape in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (66 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teape appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.3%), Two or More Races (16.3%), White (8.2%). 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 Teape (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 Teape mean?
An English habitational surname originating from a place name, possibly referring to someone from a settlement near a peak or hill. 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 Teape (0.03 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 Teape?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Teape is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.