Show ContentsLipps History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lipps

What does the name Lipps mean?

Lipps is a local name from the German region of Westphalia. Local names and other types of hereditary surnames began to be used in Germany after the 12th century. They were derived from the name of the place where the original bearer of the name lived. Sometimes local names bear the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from". This was originally an indication of land-ownership, and was sometimes a mark of aristocracy. The family originally lived in the province of Westphalia. The name is of several possible origins. Firstly, it is a short form of the personal name Philipp; for example, Count Philipp von Hessen was popularly known as "Lips." Alternatively, the name is derived from "Lippe," the name of a place in Westphalia; in this instance, the progenitor of the name would likely have been a native of Lippe who had settled in another city.

Early Origins of the Lipps family

The surname Lipps was first found in Westphalia, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. Lippe was one of the smallest states in Germany until 1945, and is now part of Lower-Saxony. Lippe is also a river running through Westphalia and entering the Rhine just north of the Ruhr region. Chronicles speak of Arnold Lipper or von der Lippe in 1222. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Lipps family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lipps research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1129, 1232, 1547, 1550, 1606, 1800 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Lipps History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lipps Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Lipps include Lipp, Lippe, Lips, Lipps, Lipsius, Lippl, Lipple, Lippel, Lipgens, Lipgin, Lippman, Lipmann, Lipman, Lippmeier, Lipper and many more.

Early Notables of the Lipps family

Notables of the period with the name Lipps were Wilhelm Anton von der Lippe (around 1800), of the House of Wintrup, who was the canon of the Cathedral in Muenster as well as the...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lipps Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lipps Ranking

In the United States, the name Lipps is the 9,669th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Lipps migration to the United States +

After 1650, thousands of German settlers came to North America to escape the religious persecution and poverty that wracked Europe and to make the most of the opportunity to own their own land in a new country. They settled across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, and in Canada in Ontario and on the fertile plains of the prairie provinces. Among them:

Lipps Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Lipps, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "London Merchant" 2
Lipps Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Lipps, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 2
Lipps Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Lipps, who arrived in Maryland in 1840 2
  • Miss Kath Lipps, aged 17, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Dresden" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lipps (post 1700) +

  • Louis Lipps (b. 1962), American Football wide receiver
  • William F. Lipps, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1904 4
  • Leo F. Lipps, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Maumee, Ohio, 1929, 1935 4
  • Theodor Lipps (1851-1914), German philosopher


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2053
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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