Explore the Family Name Karpen

The meaning of Karpen

German: from central or northern German dialect Karpe(n) ‘carp’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a carp fisherman or a seller of these fish, or a nickname for a person with fishlike features.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Karpen in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Karpen's popularity has seen a minor change in ranking and count over the years. In 2000, Karpen was ranked as the 39,499th most popular surname with 524 individuals bearing this name. By 2010, it slightly rose to become the 39,486th most common surname, with 557 individuals identified—indicating a growth of 6.3% over the decade. However, the proportion per 100,000 remained constant at 0.19.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#39,499	#39,486	0.03%
Count	524	557	6.3%
Proportion per 100k	0.19	0.19	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Karpen

Concerning ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts within the Karpen surname bearers between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, rising from 90.46% in 2000 to 91.74% in 2010. Individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black also saw an increase in their percentages, with a growth of 64.05% and 35.47%, respectively. Surprisingly, the span of ten years brought about the appearance of Hispanic identifiers at 2.15%, which were non-existent in 2000. On the other hand, individuals identifying as two or more races significantly decreased by 78.01%. American Indian and Alaskan Native identifiers remained at zero throughout the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	90.46%	91.74%	1.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.53%	2.51%	64.05%
Black	1.72%	2.33%	35.47%
Hispanic	0%	2.15%	0%
Two or More Races	5.73%	1.26%	-78.01%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%