Explore the Family Name Ripka

The meaning of Ripka

1. Slovak and Czech: from a variant of rybka, a diminutive of ryba, Slovak archaic riba ‘fish’ (see Ryba). 2. German: partly Germanized form of Polish, Czech, and Slovak Rybka, a diminutive of ryba ‘fish’ (compare above). 3. Ukrainian: nickname from a diminutive of ripa ‘turnip’. Compare Repka 2.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ripka has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade, dropping from rank 27,970 in 2000 to 28,215 in 2010, a change of -0.88%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual number of people bearing the surname increased by 5.08% during this period, from 807 in 2000 to 848 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also saw a minimal decrease of -3.33%, shifting from 0.3 in 2000 to 0.29 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#27,970	#28,215	-0.88%
Count	807	848	5.08%
Proportion per 100k	0.3	0.29	-3.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ripka

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Ripka surname identified as white, accounting for 97.77% in 2000 and decreasing slightly to 96.34% in 2010. In 2000, no individuals with the Ripka surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic, but by 2010, there was a small percentage (0.71%) identifying with each of these groups. Interestingly, the percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races also increased significantly from 1.24% in 2000 to 1.89% in 2010, marking a change of 52.42%. There were no recorded changes for those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.77%	96.34%	-1.46%
Two or More Races	1.24%	1.89%	52.42%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.71%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0.71%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%