2000
#20,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Toepfer
A German occupational surname derived from the old German word töpfer meaning potter or maker of earthenware.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,384 Americans carry the last name Toepfer. That puts it at #21,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 247,655 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toepfer 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
1.4K
1 in 247,655
Census rank
#21,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,207 bearers of the surname Toepfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toepfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toepfer
The surname Toepfer originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle Low German word 'Töpfer', which translates to 'potter' or 'maker of earthenware vessels'. The name likely referred to the occupation of the original bearer, who was a potter by trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. The name was often spelled in various ways, including Töpfer, Töppfer, and Toeppfer, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Toepfer can be found in the Bürgermatrikel (Citizen Registry) of the city of Leipzig, dating back to the late 15th century. The registry lists several individuals with the surname Töpfer, indicating their presence in the urban centers of the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Toepfer began to spread across different parts of Germany and neighboring regions as families migrated or established new roots. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Töpfer (1572-1639), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Saxony, and Johann Gottfried Töpfer (1791-1870), a German painter and illustrator from Weimar.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Toepfer surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in regions with significant German populations, such as parts of Eastern Europe and the United States. Notable individuals from this period include Ernst Toepfer (1792-1872), a German jurist and politician from Saxony, and Christian Toepfer (1837-1914), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Toepfer Construction Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As the Toepfer name spread across different regions, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Töpfer, Toepfer, and Toepffer, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the areas where the name was adopted.
Throughout history, the surname Toepfer has been associated with a variety of occupations, including potters, artisans, merchants, and professionals in various fields, reflecting the diverse paths taken by families bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toepfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Toepfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Toepfer 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 Toepfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,115
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 52
- Two or more races2.2% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toepfer
Toepfer 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
#20,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,256
+16 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 938 places
2020
#21,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,207
-49 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,023 | 1,240 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,961 | 1,256 | 0.43 | +16 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 938 places |
| 2020 | #21,967 | 1,207 | 0.40 | -49 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,006 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 Toepfer 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 | #20,961 | #21,967 | -4.8% |
| Count | 1,256 | 1,207 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.40 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toepfer bearers went from 1,256 to 1,207 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,961 to #21,967.
FAQ
Toepfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toepfer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,384 living Americans carry the surname Toepfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 247,655 residents.
How common is Toepfer?
Toepfer ranks #21,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.40 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 1,207 people with the surname Toepfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.40 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 Toepfer.
Has Toepfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toepfer went from 1,256 recorded bearers to 1,207. That is a decrease of 49 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,961 to #21,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Toepfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toepfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Toepfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toepfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Toepfer (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 Toepfer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the old German word töpfer meaning potter or maker of earthenware. 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 Toepfer (0.40 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 are called Toepfer?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Toepfer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.