2000
#3,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Culpepper
An English occupational surname referring to a herbalist or one who grows and sells herbs and spices.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,283 Americans carry the last name Culpepper. That puts it at #3,539 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,378 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Culpepper 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
11K
1 in 30,378
Census rank
#3,539
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,839 bearers of the surname Culpepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3539th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Culpepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Culpepper
The surname Culpepper is of English origin, originating in the county of Kent during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words 'cul' meaning 'cool' or 'cold' and 'peper', referring to a type of spice or pepper plant. The surname likely referred to a place where cool peppers or spices were cultivated.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Colpeper'. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. The Domesday Book entry suggests that the name was already well-established in Kent by the late 11th century.
The Culpepper family played a prominent role in the history of Kent, with several members holding influential positions and owning significant estates in the region. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Culpepper (c.1495-1541), a courtier and close friend of King Henry VIII. He was executed for treason after being implicated in an alleged affair with Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of the king.
Another prominent individual was Sir Alexander Culpepper (c.1627-1663), a royalist officer during the English Civil War who fought for King Charles I. He later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Colony in North America from 1677 to 1683.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Culpepper surname was also associated with several notable clergymen, including John Culpepper (c.1580-1644), a Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Thomas Culpepper (1635-1689), an English clergyman and writer.
The surname Culpepper has also been linked to various place names in Kent, such as Culpeper's Dish, a natural amphitheater-like formation near the village of Goudhurst. Additionally, there are records of the name appearing in various spellings, including Culpeper, Colpeper, and Culpepper, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.
Throughout history, several other individuals with the Culpepper surname have made notable contributions in various fields, such as Sir Gerrard Culpepper (1616-1667), an English merchant and politician, and Martin Culpepper (1776-1836), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Georgia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Culpepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Culpepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Culpepper 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 Culpepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 6,936
- Black or African American21.4% · 2,101
- Two or more races3.8% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 354
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Culpepper
Culpepper 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
#3,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,135
+74 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#3,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,839
-296 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,260 | 10,061 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,521 | 10,135 | 3.44 | +74 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #3,539 | 9,839 | 3.29 | -296 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 18 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 Culpepper 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 | #3,521 | #3,539 | -0.5% |
| Count | 10,135 | 9,839 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.44 | 3.29 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Culpepper bearers went from 10,135 to 9,839 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,521 to #3,539.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Culpepper
FAQ
Culpepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Culpepper?
Name Census estimates that about 11,283 living Americans carry the surname Culpepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,378 residents.
How common is Culpepper?
Culpepper ranks #3,539 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,839 people with the surname Culpepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Culpepper.
Has Culpepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Culpepper went from 10,135 recorded bearers to 9,839. That is a decrease of 296 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,521 to #3,539.
What does the Census say about the background of Culpepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Culpepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Culpepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (6,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Culpepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (21.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Culpepper (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 Culpepper mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a herbalist or one who grows and sells herbs and spices. 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 Culpepper (3.29 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 Culpepper?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.