Explore the Family Name Toepfer

The meaning of Toepfer

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) (Töpfer): occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware pots, from an agent derivative of Middle High German topf(e) ‘pot, vessel’ (first attested in the 12th century, and at first found only in the East German dialects), German Töpfer. Compare Tepfer. Some characteristic forenames: German Ernst, Rudi.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Toepfer has seen some changes over the years. In 2000, it was ranked at 20,023, but by 2010, it had slipped slightly to 20,961, representing a decrease of 4.68%. However, in terms of actual count, the number of people bearing the surname Toepfer increased from 1,240 in 2000 to 1,256 in 2010, a growth of 1.29%. The proportion per 100k also decreased by 6.52% during this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#20,023	#20,961	-4.68%
Count	1,240	1,256	1.29%
Proportion per 100k	0.46	0.43	-6.52%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Toepfer

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Toepfer also evolved between 2000 and 2010, as shown in the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname Toepfer identified as White, at 98.15%. By 2010, this percentage had decreased slightly to 96.58%. In contrast, there was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, rising from 0.56% in 2000 to 1.75% in 2010. Those identifying with two or more ethnicities declined from 0.81% to 0.72%, while the counts for Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native were either negligible or suppressed for privacy.

	2000	2010	Change
White	98.15%	96.58%	-1.6%
Hispanic	0.56%	1.75%	212.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.72%	0%
Two or More Races	0.81%	0.72%	-11.11%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%