2000
#9,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Tepper
An occupational surname referring to a pot maker or seller, derived from the German word "Töpfer" meaning potter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,162 Americans carry the last name Tepper. That puts it at #11,022 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tepper 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
3.2K
1 in 108,398
Census rank
#11,022
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,757 bearers of the surname Tepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11022nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Tepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tepper 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 Tepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,523
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 108
- Two or more races2.5% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 35
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tepper
Tepper 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
#9,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,416
+404 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 370 places
2020
#11,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,757
-659 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 1,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,885 | 3,012 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,515 | 3,416 | 1.16 | +404 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 370 places |
| 2020 | #11,022 | 2,757 | 0.92 | -659 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 1,507 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 Tepper 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 | #9,515 | #11,022 | -15.8% |
| Count | 3,416 | 2,757 | -19.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 0.92 | -20.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tepper bearers went from 3,416 to 2,757 (-19.3% change). The surname moved down 1,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,515 to #11,022.
FAQ
Tepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tepper?
Name Census estimates that about 3,162 living Americans carry the surname Tepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,398 residents.
How common is Tepper?
Tepper ranks #11,022 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,757 people with the surname Tepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Tepper.
Has Tepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tepper went from 3,416 recorded bearers to 2,757. That is a decrease of 659 (-19.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,515 to #11,022.
What does the Census say about the background of Tepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tepper (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 Tepper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a pot maker or seller, derived from the German word "Töpfer" meaning potter. 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 Tepper (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Tepper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.