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

Tepper, 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 Tepper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tepper in America

Tepper is the 9515th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tepper surname appeared 3,416 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tepper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tepper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tepper

The surname Tepper is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "tepfer," which means "potter" or "maker of clay vessels." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to those who worked as potters or ceramic artisans.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Tepper can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, where a certain Hans Tepper was mentioned as a resident in 1534. Other early records show variations in the spelling, such as "Töpfer" and "Töpper," which further reinforces the connection to the profession of pottery-making.

In the 17th century, the name Tepper appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, a notable individual bearing the name was Johann Tepper (1616-1670), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst.

As the centuries progressed, the Tepper surname spread beyond Germany, with families bearing the name settling in other parts of Europe and eventually in the Americas. One notable figure was Theodor Tepper (1824-1893), a German-born entomologist and naturalist who emigrated to Australia and made significant contributions to the study of Australian insects and plants.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tepper was Johann Tepper (1744-1818), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. Another notable American with the name was Thomas Tepper (1868-1939), a baseball player and manager who played for several Major League Baseball teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Other notable individuals bearing the surname Tepper include Sheri S. Tepper (1929-2016), an American writer of science fiction and feminist literature, and Arnon Tepper (1912-1992), an Israeli artist and sculptor known for his abstract metal sculptures.

While the Tepper surname is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins as an occupational name in medieval Germany. From potters and composers to naturalists and artists, the name has been carried by individuals from diverse fields and backgrounds throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tepper

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

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 Tepper 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tepper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Tepper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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