2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Trope
A surname derived from the Greek word "tropos," referring to a figurative or rhetorical usage of language.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Trope. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trope 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Trope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trope, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trope
The surname "TROPE" is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "trope," which meant a figure of speech or a rhetorical device. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who was skilled in the use of language or rhetoric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "TROPE" can be found in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, near Paris, from the 13th century. A monk named Guibert Trope is mentioned in these records, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family with the surname "TROPE" residing in the village of Trope, located in the region of Brittany, France. It is possible that the name may have originated from this place name, or that the place name was derived from an earlier use of the surname.
During the 15th century, the name "TROPE" appears in the records of the city of Dijon, in the Burgundy region of France. One notable individual from this time period was Jean Trope, a merchant and landowner who lived from approximately 1425 to 1488.
In the 16th century, a French poet and playwright named François Trope gained recognition for his works, which included comedies and tragedies. He was born around 1520 and died in the late 1500s.
Another notable figure with the surname "TROPE" was Étienne Trope, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1588 to 1657. He made significant contributions to the fields of trigonometry and celestial mechanics.
In the 17th century, the name "TROPE" appears in records from the Netherlands, suggesting that families with this surname may have migrated or had origins in that region as well.
One individual of note from this period was Willem Trope, a Dutch painter known for his still-life and landscape works. He lived from 1632 to 1689.
While the surname "TROPE" has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with various spellings and variations emerging over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trope
Among Census respondents with the surname Trope, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Trope 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 Trope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 104
- Black or African American6.7% · 8
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trope
Trope 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+8 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,014 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-19 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 2,014 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 18,240 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 Trope 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 | #124,548 | #142,788 | -14.6% |
| Count | 138 | 119 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trope bearers went from 138 to 119 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 18,240 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #142,788.
FAQ
Trope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trope?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Trope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Trope?
Trope ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Trope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Trope.
Has Trope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trope went from 138 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 19 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Trope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trope, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Trope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Trope (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 Trope mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word "tropos," referring to a figurative or rhetorical usage of language. 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 Trope (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 Trope?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.