Hipp
A short surname with several possible roots, most often explained as a Scandinavian personal name and sometimes linked to place-names.
The #7,177 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,254 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hipp is usually treated as a very old Scandinavian name, later used as a hereditary surname in England. From that base, related forms such as Hipkin and Hipson were formed as diminutives or patronymics. Some writers also connected Hipp with local English names such as Hipswell and other place-names, so the exact origin may vary by family line.
History
Lower explicitly describes Hipp as an old Scandinavian name and notes related surnames like Hipson and Hipkin, while also suggesting place-name links in forms such as Hipswell and Plippisley. The name is found in England in historical records, and modern bearers are concentrated in the Anglophone world. Because the sources do not give a single settled explanation, it is best treated as a surname with mixed personal-name and locative possibilities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower notes that a surname form related to Hipp was still found in Denmark, showing how widely such short Germanic names could travel.
From the historical record
“HIPKIN. See Hipp. HIPP. An old Scandinavian name, whence Hipson, Hipkin, and the local Plippisley, Hipswell, &c. HIPPER. The Hypper or Ibber is a river of Derbyshire, a tributary of the Hother. IIIPPISLEY. Local: but I do not find the place. In an ancient ijarchment pedi- gree, in the jjossession of the Hippisle3-s…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom