The Epps surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,112 people carried this name — #1,784 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,700 people counted. That is up 7% from 18,780 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Epps surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Ebb’.

An early record he cites: Thomas Ebson, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Ebbs, Epps, Eppson, Epperson and Epp.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 263 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

22 families named Epps, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 132 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 10
New Hampshire 5
North Carolina 4
Massachusetts 2
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 239 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Epps in American newspapers,
1904–1910.

Newspaper page from Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier carrying the name Epps
Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier 1904-11-12
Newspaper page from Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier carrying the name Epps
Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier 1910-10-04
Newspaper page from World's Cresset carrying the name Epps
World's Cresset 1906-12-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Epps in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

114,259 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Epps. The most, 49,858, date from the 1880s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 6.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 43,055
New South Wales 22,141
Queensland 19,607
South Australia 16,668
Western Australia 6,297
Tasmania 5,395
Northern Territory 1,067
ACT (Canberra) 15

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Epps.

Who carried it

People named Epps,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Benjamin Thomas Epps Sr.
    Benjamin Thomas Epps Sr. 1888–1937 · businessperson
  • John Epps 1805–1869 · physician
  • C. D. Epps 1836–1863
  • Washington Epps 1848–1912 · homeopath
  • William Windsor Epps 1854–1934 · politician
  • Hal Epps 1914–2004 · baseball player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Epps,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,188 records

1,188 records of the Epps name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 562
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 334
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 207
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 43
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 17
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 15
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 9
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Epps

    Born 1950; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, m60a1 tank crewman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Mack Epps

    Born 1908 in Georgia. Enlisted 1943 at Baltimore, Maryland; plumber from Baltimore City, Maryland. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1958, buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Herman Epps

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Friesland from Antwerp, aged 31; farmer. From Holland, the Netherlands; bound for Michigan.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,188 records for Epps in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia73 records

73 records of the Epps name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 28
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 22
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 10
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 10
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Epps

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lord Lyndoch, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1842.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Richard Epps

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Suffolk, aged 47; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Graham Hebden Epps

    Retired mechanic of Kerang, Victoria; died 1998.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 73 records for Epps in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada17 records

17 records of the Epps name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 5
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bernice D. Epps

    Died 1907; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Henry Epps

    Died 1925 in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Cecil Epps

    Died in service in 1915.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 17 records for Epps in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Epps name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. A. E. Epps

    East Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. G. Epps

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Epps name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Delia Bridget Epps

    Died 1957, aged 71; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Epps.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Epps is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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