2000
#2,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.96
Uncommon Last name
Whipple
Derived from a place name meaning "small stream" or referring to someone who lived near a small stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,086 Americans carry the last name Whipple. That puts it at #2,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,720 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whipple 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
15K
1 in 22,720
Census rank
#2,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,156 bearers of the surname Whipple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whipple
The surname Whipple has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hwæppe," meaning a small bundle or parcel, and "hyll," meaning a hill or mound. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small hill or mound, or perhaps a peddler who carried bundles of goods for sale.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Willelmus Wepel" in Kent. Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms, including Whippel, Whippill, and eventually Whipple.
In the 13th century, the name Whipple was particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. Records from this period show individuals with the surname holding lands and estates in these regions.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Whipple, born around 1320 in Bickerton, Gloucestershire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1355.
In the 16th century, the name Whipple appeared in connection with the English Reformation. William Whipple, born in 1490 in Taunton, Somerset, was a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1556 for his religious beliefs.
During the 17th century, several members of the Whipple family played significant roles in the colonization of America. Matthew Whipple, born in 1590 in Bocking, Essex, was one of the early settlers of Ipswich, Massachusetts, arriving in 1638.
Another notable figure was Abraham Whipple, born in 1733 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a renowned naval commander during the American Revolutionary War and is credited with firing the first shot of the war against the British in 1772.
In the 19th century, Edwin Percy Whipple, born in 1819 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, gained recognition as a prominent literary critic and essayist, known for his works on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The Whipple name has also been associated with scientific achievements. John Adams Whipple, born in 1822 in Oberlin, Ohio, was a renowned civil engineer who designed numerous bridges, including the Whipple Truss, a revolutionary bridge design that became widely used in the late 19th century.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diversity of the surname Whipple, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, religious figures, military leaders, writers, and engineers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whipple
Among Census respondents with the surname Whipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Whipple 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 Whipple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 10,806
- Black or African American7.9% · 1,045
- Two or more races3.5% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 419
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whipple
Whipple 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
#2,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,850
+463 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#2,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,156
-694 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 4.40
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,471 | 13,387 | 4.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,602 | 13,850 | 4.70 | +463 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #2,674 | 13,156 | 4.40 | -694 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 72 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 Whipple 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 | #2,602 | #2,674 | -2.8% |
| Count | 13,850 | 13,156 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.70 | 4.40 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whipple bearers went from 13,850 to 13,156 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,602 to #2,674.
FAQ
Whipple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whipple?
Name Census estimates that about 15,086 living Americans carry the surname Whipple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,720 residents.
How common is Whipple?
Whipple ranks #2,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,156 people with the surname Whipple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Whipple.
Has Whipple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whipple went from 13,850 recorded bearers to 13,156. That is a decrease of 694 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,602 to #2,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Whipple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whipple, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Whipple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (10,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whipple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Whipple (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 Whipple mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "small stream" or referring to someone who lived near a small stream. 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 Whipple (4.40 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 last name Whipple?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Whipple on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.