2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tuepker
A habitational surname derived from a place name in northern Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tuepker. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuepker 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tuepker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuepker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuepker
The surname Tuepker is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of Germany during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an old Germanic word referring to a skilled craftsman or potter, "töpfer."
Tuepker is a variation of the more common spelling "Töpfer," which is found in records dating back to the 16th century. The earliest known record of the name Tuepker itself appears in a church register from the town of Halle, dated 1612, where it is spelled "Tüpker."
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tuepker name was concentrated in the areas around Hannover and Bremen, with many families working as potters or in related trades. Notable individuals from this time period include Hans Tuepker (1645-1717), a master potter in Lüneburg, and Gertrude Tuepker (1678-1742), whose dowry record from 1701 is one of the earliest documented uses of the name in its current spelling.
In the 19th century, as industrialization took hold, many Tuepkers migrated to urban centers like Hamburg and Berlin in search of work. One prominent figure was Friedrich Tuepker (1821-1896), a successful merchant and philanthropist in Hamburg who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals.
The name also spread beyond Germany during this period, with some Tuepkers emigrating to the United States and other countries. Johann Tuepker (1832-1912) was among the first to settle in America, arriving in New York in 1854 and later becoming a prosperous farmer in Wisconsin.
Other notable individuals with the surname Tuepker include:
- Wilhelm Tuepker (1861-1935), a German architect who designed several landmarks in Berlin
- Hildegard Tuepker (1891-1968), a German novelist and poet
- Otto Tuepker (1903-1987), a German-American engineer and inventor
- Lisbeth Tuepker (1919-2004), a German Olympic swimmer who won a gold medal in 1936
- Erich Tuepker (born 1944), a German physicist and professor emeritus at the University of Hamburg
While the Tuepker name has since spread worldwide, its roots can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen of northern Germany in the Middle Ages, reflecting a rich history and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuepker
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuepker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuepker 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 Tuepker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 108
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuepker
Tuepker 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
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
+15 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,753 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-30 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 2,753 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 25,848 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 Tuepker 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 | #116,201 | #142,049 | -22.2% |
| Count | 150 | 120 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuepker bearers went from 150 to 120 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 25,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tuepker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuepker?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tuepker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tuepker?
Tuepker ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Tuepker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Tuepker.
Has Tuepker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuepker went from 150 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 30 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,201 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuepker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuepker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Tuepker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuepker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (2.5%). 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 Tuepker (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 Tuepker mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in northern Germany. 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 Tuepker (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 share the surname Tuepker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.