2000
#8,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,608
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Troup
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Banff or from the Gaelic word meaning "a homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,822 Americans carry the last name Troup. That puts it at #9,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,679 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Troup 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Troup with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,679
Census rank
#9,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,333 bearers of the surname Troup in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Troup, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Troup
The surname Troup has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "troupe," meaning a group or troop of people, which in turn comes from the Germanic word "trop," meaning a herd or flock.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Troup, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390. The name was particularly prevalent in the northeastern regions of Scotland, particularly Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.
In the 16th century, the Troup surname appeared in various records, including the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland. One notable figure from this period was Robert Troup, a Scottish minister who was appointed as the rector of the parish of Cullen in 1562.
The name Troup is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Trouphead, a coastal headland in Aberdeenshire, and Troup Castle, a ruined 16th-century castle in the same region. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
As the name spread across Scotland and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, including Troupe, Trowpe, and Trupe. One notable bearer of the name was Sir George Troup (1780-1847), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of New South Wales from 1819 to 1827.
Another prominent figure was Robert Troup (1757-1832), an American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in New York and was a founder of the New York Historical Society. He was also an influential figure in the early days of the United States, serving as a delegate to the New York convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution.
In the 19th century, the Troup surname was found in various parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable Australian bearer of the name was George Troup (1863-1941), a politician who served as the Premier of Western Australia from 1905 to 1909.
Other individuals of note with the Troup surname include James Troup (1828-1904), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who was involved in the early development of the Western Australian mining industry, and John Rose Troup (1847-1919), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several terms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Troup
Among Census respondents with the surname Troup, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Troup 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 Troup surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 2,722
- Black or African American11.9% · 397
- Two or more races3.4% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Troup
Troup 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
#8,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,657
+49 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 537 places
2020
#9,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,333
-324 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,414 | 3,608 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,951 | 3,657 | 1.24 | +49 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 537 places |
| 2020 | #9,363 | 3,333 | 1.12 | -324 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 412 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 Troup 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 | #8,951 | #9,363 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,657 | 3,333 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.12 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Troup bearers went from 3,657 to 3,333 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 412 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,951 to #9,363.
FAQ
Troup surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Troup?
Name Census estimates that about 3,822 living Americans carry the surname Troup. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,679 residents.
How common is Troup?
Troup ranks #9,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,333 people with the surname Troup. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Troup.
Has Troup become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Troup went from 3,657 recorded bearers to 3,333. That is a decrease of 324 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,951 to #9,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Troup?
Among Census respondents with the surname Troup, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Troup in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (2,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Troup appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Troup (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 Troup mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Banff or from the Gaelic word meaning "a homestead." 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 Troup (1.12 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 Troup?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.