Explore the Family Name Zipper

The meaning of Zipper

1. Jewish (Ashkenazic): metronymic from a short form of the female Biblical name Zipporah, meaning ‘bird’ (Exodus 2:21). 2. German: from a vernacular form of the personal name Cyprianus. 3. Germanized form of Sorbian Cypar and Cepar: occupational name for a thresher, from a derivative of Upper Sorbian cypy, Lower Sorbian cepy ‘flail’. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Orah.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Zipper saw a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 45,909, but by 2010, its rank had dropped to 51,723—a 12.66% decrease. The overall count of people with the surname Zipper also decreased during this period, falling from 438 in 2000 to 402 in 2010, representing an 8.22% decline. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Zipper per 100,000 people also fell by 12.5%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#45,909	#51,723	-12.66%
Count	438	402	-8.22%
Proportion per 100k	0.16	0.14	-12.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zipper

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Zipper also showed changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 95.21% of people with the surname were identified as White, but this percentage fell to 92.79% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of Hispanics with the surname Zipper increased from 3.2% to 4.98%. Interestingly, by 2010, 1.49% of Zippers were identified as Black, a category not represented in the previous census. However, there were no recorded instances of individuals with the Zipper surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.21%	92.79%	-2.54%
Hispanic	3.2%	4.98%	55.62%
Black	0%	1.49%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%