2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Triplin
An English surname derived from the French "triple", referring to someone with a triple or triplicate quality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Triplin. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Triplin 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Triplin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Triplin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and White (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Triplin
The surname TRIPLIN is believed to have originated in England, and is thought to date back to the 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old English word "tripel," which means "to walk heavily" or "to tread." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a distinctive way of walking or who worked in a profession that involved a lot of walking or treading, such as a messenger or a traveler.
The earliest known record of the name TRIPLIN appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a man named Robert Triplin is listed. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which mention a John Triplin. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by the early 14th century.
One notable TRIPLIN from history is Sir Thomas Triplin, a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament who lived in the 16th century. He was born in 1525 in Gloucestershire and served as a member of the House of Commons from 1558 to 1572.
In the 17th century, a man named William Triplin gained fame as a skilled clockmaker. He was born in London in 1620 and is credited with pioneering several innovations in clock design and construction.
Another TRIPLIN of note is Mary Triplin, a 19th-century author and poet who was born in Lincolnshire in 1832. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her vivid descriptions of rural life in England.
In the late 19th century, a man named James Triplin made a name for himself as a explorer and naturalist. He was born in 1858 in Derbyshire and led several expeditions to Africa, where he collected and studied various plant and animal species.
Finally, one of the most well-known TRIPLINs in recent history was the British artist and designer, Henry Triplin. He was born in 1901 in Manchester and is best known for his innovative furniture designs and his contributions to the Art Deco movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Triplin
Among Census respondents with the surname Triplin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and White (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Triplin 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 Triplin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 6
- White4.1% · 5
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Triplin
Triplin 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,469 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-11 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 6,469 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 12,276 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 Triplin 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 | #128,249 | #140,525 | -9.6% |
| Count | 133 | 122 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Triplin bearers went from 133 to 122 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 12,276 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #140,525.
FAQ
Triplin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Triplin?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Triplin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Triplin?
Triplin ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 122 people with the surname Triplin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Triplin.
Has Triplin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Triplin went from 133 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Triplin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Triplin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and White (4.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Triplin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Triplin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.1%), Hispanic (4.9%), White (4.1%). 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 Triplin (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 Triplin mean?
An English surname derived from the French "triple", referring to someone with a triple or triplicate quality. 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 Triplin (0.04 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 have the surname Triplin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.