Find out how popular the last name Tepan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tepan.

Tepan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tepan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tepan in America

Tepan is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tepan surname appeared 158 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tepan.

The history of the last name Tepan

The surname TEPAN is believed to have originated in the region of Transylvania, located in present-day Romania, during the late 15th century. It is derived from the Romanian word "tep," which means "quiet" or "silent," and may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was known for their calm and reserved demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the TEPAN surname can be found in a 16th-century document from the town of Brasov, where a certain Ioan TEPAN is mentioned as a local landowner. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.

In the early 17th century, the TEPAN name appears in several historical records from the neighboring region of Moldavia, which was then part of the Principality of Transylvania. One notable figure from this period was Gheorghe TEPAN, a respected scholar and writer who authored several works on the history and culture of the region.

As the centuries passed, the TEPAN surname gradually spread beyond Transylvania and Moldavia, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and even further afield. One prominent individual bearing the name was Mircea TEPAN, a Romanian-born military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in France, where he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his service.

Another notable figure was Ileana TEPAN, a celebrated Romanian poet and playwright who lived from 1885 to 1962. Her works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, earned her widespread acclaim and recognition throughout the literary circles of her time.

In more recent history, the TEPAN surname has been carried by several notable academics and researchers, including Dr. Alexandru TEPAN, a renowned physicist and professor at the University of Bucharest, who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics during the mid-20th century.

While the TEPAN surname originated in the region of Transylvania and has deep roots in Romanian history and culture, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants of the original bearers now found in countries as diverse as Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tepan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tepan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tepan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tepan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tepan, please contact us.

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