2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Urps
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to a location in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Urps. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urps 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Urps in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urps, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urps
The surname URPS is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old German word "urp," which referred to the borders or outer limits of a territory. This suggests that the URPS name may have initially been given to people who lived on the outskirts or borders of towns or villages.
One of the earliest known references to the URPS name can be found in the Würzburg Diocesan Records from the year 1287, which mentions a person named Henricus Urps. This document provides valuable insight into the early use and spelling of the name in medieval Germany.
In the 14th century, the URPS name appeared in various historical records across different regions of Germany. For instance, in 1328, a person named Johannes Urps was recorded as a landowner in the town of Erfurt, located in present-day Thuringia.
During the 15th century, the URPS name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In 1467, a Swiss merchant named Hans Urps is mentioned in a trade document from the city of Basel.
Notable individuals with the URPS surname throughout history include:
1. Wilhelm Urps (1510-1582), a German painter and engraver known for his religious artwork, particularly his depictions of the Passion of Christ.
2. Anna Urps (1568-1637), a German businesswoman and landowner who inherited substantial property and wealth from her family in the town of Nuremberg.
3. Johannes Urps (1620-1691), a Dutch theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Leiden and wrote extensively on metaphysics and ethics.
4. Heinrich Urps (1726-1798), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.
5. Emilie Urps (1805-1872), a German poet and writer who published several collections of poetry and novels that explored themes of love, nature, and social issues.
While the URPS name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Urpps, Uerps, and Urpse, it has maintained a strong presence in Germany and neighboring regions, reflecting its deep-rooted historical origins and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urps
Among Census respondents with the surname Urps, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Urps 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 Urps surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 55
- Black or African American30.7% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 9
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urps
Urps appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 2,642 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 Urps 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 | #152,628 | #155,270 | -1.7% |
| Count | 107 | 101 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urps bearers went from 107 to 101 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 2,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,270.
FAQ
Urps surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urps?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Urps. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Urps?
Urps ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Urps. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Urps.
Has Urps become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urps went from 107 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Urps?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urps, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Urps in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (55 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urps appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (30.7%), Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Urps (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 Urps mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to a location in 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 Urps (0.03 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 Urps?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.