The Piper surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22,329 people carried this name — #1,607 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,200 people counted. That is up 4% from 21,526 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Piper surname

A surname originating as an occupation.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Piper» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the piper’.

An early record he cites: Henry le Pipere, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 608 · public domain.

In Poland’s population register

169 people named Piper have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 250 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Silesian 107
Lesser Poland 20
Opole 18
Pomeranian 13
Warmian-Masurian 3
Lower Silesian 2
Masovian 2
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

36 people named Piper live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
St. Gallen 9
Aargau 6
Bern 6
Basel-Landschaft 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 32 people named Piper live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 18
Misiones 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 26 people named Piper.

Most of them — 18 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Allier.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 18
Allier 3
Bas-Rhin 2
Guadeloupe 2
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

102 people named Piper is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 102

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Piper was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Sussex: 25 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 400. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Sussex 25
Essex 9
Devon 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

111 families named Piper, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 613 people lived in those households, 5.4 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

Pennsylvania 25
New Hampshire 23
Massachusetts 14
Maryland 12
Virginia 10
North Carolina 8
Maine 7
New York 6
South Carolina 3
Vermont 2
Connecticut 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. 257 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Piper in American newspapers,
1882–1909.

Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Piper
New-york Tribune 1906-12-30
Newspaper page from Sharp County Record carrying the name Piper
Sharp County Record 1882-08-24
Newspaper page from The Silver Messenger carrying the name Piper
The Silver Messenger 1909-02-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,138 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Piper in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

68,234 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Piper. The most, 12,174, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 South Australia, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 28,745
South Australia 18,457
Victoria 9,618
Western Australia 3,860
Tasmania 3,505
Queensland 3,383
ACT (Canberra) 471
Northern Territory 62

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

Who carried it

People named Piper,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Carl Piper
    Carl Piper 1647–1716 · politician
  • Christina Piper
    Christina Piper 1673–1752 · entrepreneur
  • Gustaf Abraham Piper
    Gustaf Abraham Piper 1692–1761 · military personnel
  • Minnie Stevens Piper d. 1955 · composer
  • Henrik Piper d. 1673 · mayor of a place in Sweden
  • George Piper d. 1966 · marathon runner

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 Piper,
in the records of 9 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 States2,031 records

2,031 records of the Piper name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 722
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 368
  • Other U.S. records 941
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Dennis Piper

    Born 1947; from San Lorenzo, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    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 William Piper

    Born 1901 in Germany. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; manager. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1967, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John D. Piper

    Born 1911 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1944 at Wilkes Barre; store manager. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1968, buried at Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 2,031 records for Piper in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia1,292 records

1,292 records of the Piper name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 575
  • Tasmanian Names Index 261
  • Other Australian records 456
  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 William Piper

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Persian, sailing from Falmouth in 1830. Native of Tottenham, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845. Married 1845 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 43.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thompson Piper

    Died 1914 in Zeehan, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1914.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Dorothy Piper

    Died 1930 in Wesley Vale, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1930.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,292 records for Piper in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands488 records

488 records of the Piper name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 203
  • Dutch population registers 144
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 141
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lambert Piper

    Married in 1829 in Zwolle; tailor, born 1801 in Zwolle. Died 1881 in Zwolle, aged 79.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Agnes Piper

    Married in 1818 in Linne. Died 1847 in Linne, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johan Benedict Piper

    Married in 1857 in Delft. Died 1883 in Delft.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 488 records for Piper in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany219 records

219 records of the Piper name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 210
  • German emigration and citizenship files 9
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Adolf Piper

    Born 1896; from Wohldorf, Hamburg. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 5 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 410).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record August Friedrich Gottlieb Piper

    Emigrated to North America in 1871.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Johann Friedrich Piper

    Emigrated to Australia in 1863.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)

Showing 3 of 219 records for Piper in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada138 records

138 records of the Piper name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 59
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 24
  • Other Canadian records 55
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Piper

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Helios, bound for Lucan, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kathleen Marian Piper

    Buried in 1934 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 71.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Christine Piper

    Died 1979, aged 74; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 138 records for Piper in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand57 records

57 records of the Piper name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 54
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Chutney Piper

    Died 1970, aged 62; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Curtis James Piper

    Died 1998, aged 21; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record A. Piper

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 57 records for Piper in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom54 records

54 records of the Piper name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 42
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 10
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frank William Piper

    Died 1987, aged 71; buried at Aberfoyle Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Grace Piper

    Buried in 1811 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 27.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 2 of 54 records for Piper in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Belgium9 records

9 records of the Piper name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Amanda Piper

    Died 1906 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Piper

    Died 1916 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Piper in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Piper name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Ernest Piper

    Born 1904 in Veauce (Allier); died 1999 in Domont (Val-d'Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Wendy Jean Piper

    Born 1950 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Pont-l'Évêque (Calvados).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Piper in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Piper.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Piper 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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