2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wyper
A surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "wiper" meaning a basket-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Wyper. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wyper 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 Wyper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Wyper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wyper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wyper
The surname Wyper has its origins in Scotland, specifically within the Lowlands region. The name first appeared during the medieval period, around the 14th century. Wyper is believed to be derived from the Old English word "wiper", which means resilient or tenacious. This aligns with the Old English tendency to describe individuals' characteristics through surnames.
Historically, the name Wyper appears in several Scottish records. The earliest mention of the surname is found in the exchequer rolls of Scotland in the 1370s, where a Thomas Wyper is recorded. It has also been seen in Scottish parish records from the 16th century. The Domesday Book, a well-known manuscript record, does not mention this surname due to its Scottish origin and the book's focus on England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Wyper, born in 1450 in the town of Dumfries. He was a known landowner and is mentioned in several land transaction documents of the time. Another historical figure of note is Alexander Wyper, born in 1525, who served as a scribe for the Laird of Drumlanrig in the mid-16th century.
David Wyper, born in 1601, was a notable clergyman whose sermons were widely respected in the town of Ayr. His works were often referenced in religious texts of the time. Another prominent individual bearing the surname was Robert Wyper, born in 1720, who became a renowned merchant in Glasgow and played a key role in the establishment of Glasgow's trade relations with the Americas.
By the 19th century, the name Wyper was associated with James Wyper, born in 1803, who was a well-known shipbuilder in Greenock. His contributions to the shipbuilding industry were significant during the boom of maritime trade in Scotland. Another prominent figure was Elizabeth Wyper, born in 1850, who was an early advocate for women's rights in Edinburgh and contributed to numerous social reforms.
The surname Wyper, deeply rooted in Scottish history, captures the essence of persistence and strength, reflected in the lives and accomplishments of its bearers across centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wyper
Among Census respondents with the surname Wyper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wyper 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 Wyper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 99
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wyper
Wyper 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Wyper 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 | #145,220 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wyper bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Wyper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wyper?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Wyper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Wyper?
Wyper ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Wyper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Wyper.
Has Wyper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wyper went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Wyper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wyper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Wyper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wyper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Wyper (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 Wyper mean?
A surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "wiper" meaning a basket-maker. 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 Wyper (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 are called Wyper?
See how many people have the surname Wyper on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.