2000
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Pipkin
A diminutive of the given name Philip, or an occupational surname for a maker or seller of clay pipes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,144 Americans carry the last name Pipkin. That puts it at #6,130 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pipkin 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 Pipkin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,787
Census rank
#6,130
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,358 bearers of the surname Pipkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6130th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pipkin
The surname Pipkin has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "pipe" and "kyn," which together refer to a family or clan of pipe makers or those involved in the piping trade. The name may have also been an occupational surname given to those who played the pipe or other wind instruments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pipkin can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Pipekyn in Oxfordshire. In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Pypekin, Pipkyn, and Pypekin in records across different counties in England.
The Pipkin surname is also linked to certain place names in England, such as Pipkin Farm in Hertfordshire and Pipkin Lane in Wiltshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Pipkin surname or may have influenced the name's development.
Among notable historical figures with the surname Pipkin, one can mention:
1. John Pipkin (c. 1580-1644), an English colonist who settled in Virginia and was granted land in the early 17th century.
2. William Pipkin (1728-1809), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in South Carolina.
3. Mary Ann Pipkin (1795-1876), an American author and educator who wrote several instructional books for children in the mid-19th century.
4. Robert Pipkin (1845-1923), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a successful businessman in Ohio.
5. Horace Pipkin (1888-1946), an African American painter and educator from Pennsylvania, known for his naïve style and depictions of rural life.
The Pipkin surname has a long history in England, with roots dating back to the medieval era. Its origins are closely tied to the pipe-making trade and may have also been associated with those who played wind instruments. While not as widespread as some other surnames, the name Pipkin has left its mark across various historical records and notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pipkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pipkin 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 Pipkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 3,753
- Black or African American20.4% · 1,094
- Two or more races4.9% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pipkin
Pipkin 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
#6,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,604
+193 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#6,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,358
-246 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,861 | 5,411 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,119 | 5,604 | 1.90 | +193 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #6,130 | 5,358 | 1.79 | -246 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 11 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 Pipkin 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 | #6,119 | #6,130 | -0.2% |
| Count | 5,604 | 5,358 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.79 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pipkin bearers went from 5,604 to 5,358 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,119 to #6,130.
FAQ
Pipkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pipkin?
Name Census estimates that about 6,144 living Americans carry the surname Pipkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,787 residents.
How common is Pipkin?
Pipkin ranks #6,130 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,358 people with the surname Pipkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pipkin.
Has Pipkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pipkin went from 5,604 recorded bearers to 5,358. That is a decrease of 246 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,119 to #6,130.
What does the Census say about the background of Pipkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pipkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Pipkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (3,753 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pipkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.0%), Black (20.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Pipkin (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 Pipkin mean?
A diminutive of the given name Philip, or an occupational surname for a maker or seller of clay pipes. 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 Pipkin (1.79 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 Pipkin?
See how many people have the last name Pipkin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.