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

Topper, 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 Topper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Topper in America

Topper is the 11555th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Topper surname appeared 2,720 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 Topper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Topper 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 Topper

The surname Topper is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "topp," which referred to a hilltop or summit. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived on or near a hilltop.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Topper can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Topere." This record indicates that the name was already in use during the late 11th century in England.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name, such as "Topper" and "Toppur," began to appear in various historical records, including court rolls, tax records, and parish registers. These documents provide insight into the geographical distribution of the name, with instances found in counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Topper include John Topper, a wealthy merchant from London who lived in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1620). Another prominent figure was Sir William Topper, a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of King Charles I (c. 1600-1670).

The name Topper can also be associated with certain place names, such as Topper's Hill in Nottinghamshire, which may have served as the origin for some families with this surname.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name continued to be found in various parts of England, with individuals like Thomas Topper (c. 1680-1745), a successful farmer from Yorkshire, and Elizabeth Topper (1720-1790), a renowned artist from London.

As the centuries progressed, the Topper surname spread beyond England, with families bearing this name migrating to other parts of the British Isles, as well as to the Americas and other English-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Topper

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

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

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

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