Pope Surname

4,577th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 122,850 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Pope Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the pope'; compare Bishop, &c. A sobriquet for one of an austere, ascetic, and ecclesiastical appearance.

Alan le Pope, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Hugh le Pope, Suffolk, ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Pope Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States84,3221:4,299479
England15,5041:3,594487
Australia6,7321:4,010573
Canada3,9381:9,3561,402
New Zealand1,7471:2,592364
Wales1,2471:2,482276
Ghana1,0391:26,0063,108
Bangladesh8111:196,4946,734
Papua New Guinea7911:10,308881
Trinidad and Tobago7501:1,819307
South Africa6021:89,99611,027
Scotland5521:9,6991,357
Brazil4001:535,18620,061
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines3961:28448
Liberia3921:11,2461,222
Egypt2751:334,31221,412
Germany2401:335,43933,076
France2371:280,26543,035
Ivory Coast2051:112,5435,675
Ireland1971:23,9032,305
Peru1971:161,3418,260
Nigeria1541:1,150,27847,013
India1501:5,113,769127,237
DR Congo1301:568,30443,658
Grenada1211:897169
Argentina1141:374,94229,068
Thailand1131:625,118105,836
Spain1011:462,89123,948
Poland911:417,67944,209
Zimbabwe891:173,46321,090
Indonesia851:1,555,873103,724
Belize741:4,804852
Latvia671:30,5984,691
Mexico671:1,852,63018,093
Netherlands541:312,72536,782
Northern Ireland501:36,9013,535
Iran371:2,075,20373,016
Denmark361:156,79813,614
Barbados311:9,273738
Albania281:104,0739,868
Uganda271:1,445,89953,777
China261:52,589,2912,849
Philippines261:3,893,778155,597
Sweden251:393,87027,867
Aruba231:4,499638
Dominican Republic231:453,60614,824
Chile211:838,88017,964
Italy211:2,912,22398,106
Russia211:6,863,003268,198
Singapore211:262,27211,611
Norway201:257,11427,149
Jersey191:5,2211,083
Serbia191:376,05017,192
Venezuela191:1,589,68820,788
Isle of Man181:4,7681,008
Switzerland181:456,27333,097
Cayman Islands171:3,758489
Panama171:230,1336,157
British Virgin Islands161:1,975263
Iraq161:2,188,85319,343
Czechia151:708,89864,682
Malaysia141:2,106,73083,604
United Arab Emirates141:654,44824,061
United States Virgin Islands141:7,8841,168
Guam121:13,3432,098
Japan121:10,653,69145,407
Angola91:2,998,8024,903
Bahrain91:149,8455,469
Croatia91:469,84536,710
Hungary91:1,090,69749,203
Mozambique91:3,029,0632,946
Qatar91:262,00030,726
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Cameroon71:2,967,010123,373
Hong Kong71:1,047,9264,985
Afghanistan61:5,358,86425,178
Antigua and Barbuda61:16,5281,436
Belgium61:1,916,107103,447
Kenya61:7,696,65052,907
Austria41:2,128,85991,203
Costa Rica41:1,195,0176,919
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Morocco41:8,619,02573,251
Portugal41:2,604,56016,079
Romania41:5,019,46862,922
Bolivia31:3,538,81111,393
Greece31:3,693,263126,191
Norfolk Island31:765177
Pakistan31:59,547,962132,569
Turkey31:25,940,474162,557
Zambia31:5,283,30743,479
Benin21:5,167,80184,334
Finland21:2,748,35172,663
Georgia21:1,872,77235,618
Jamaica21:1,434,97411,081
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Taiwan21:11,722,37363,559
Tanzania21:26,470,806111,653
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Cook Islands11:18,1791,485
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Falkland Islands11:3,132317
Gabon11:1,889,1946,814
Guernsey11:64,4392,137
Honduras11:8,816,4429,272
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Israel11:8,557,634182,558
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kyrgyzstan11:5,972,65499,197
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Macau11:601,6301,582
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Malta11:430,2723,380
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Slovenia11:2,487,67531,128
Sri Lanka11:20,808,56018,521
Sudan11:37,510,19514,259
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1321:33,5603,261
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England9,4661:2,575372
Wales3281:4,782330
Scotland1971:19,0011,941
Jersey91:5,7651,004
Guernsey31:10,8851,562
Isle of Man21:27,1351,659
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States15,1061:3,324393

The alternate forms: Popé (2), Pöpe (1) & Pópé (41) are calculated separately.

Pope (4,245) may also be a first name.

Pope Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the pope'; compare Bishop, &c. A sobriquet for one of an austere, ascetic, and ecclesiastical appearance.

Alan le Pope, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Hugh le Pope, Suffolk, ibid.

Robert le Pope, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby—s Quest.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

A family of Paips or Papes appear to have belonged originally to Elgin, and some of them were in the legs profession before the Reformation (TGSI., XXVIII, p. 257). In Caithness, Sutherland, and Orkney, the surname is still pronounced Paip. In 1363 William Pop, son and heir of William Pop, burgess of Elgin, made a gift to the altar of the Virgin in the church of S. Giles in Elgin (REM., p. 312), and in 1375 there is mention of Robert Pop of Elgin (RAA., II, 34). Adam Popp and Robertus Popp were jurors on an assize regarding the mill lands of Quarelwode in 1389 (REM., p. 171). David Pap was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1516 (NSCM., I, p. 46), and Sir James Pop, a cleric, was a monk of Beauly in 1540 (Ferrarius, History, p. 49). William Pape, a native of Ross-shire, was appointed schoolmaster at Dornoch in 1585 and chanter of Dornoch in 1602 (OPS., II, p 618). James Pape was burgess of Kirkwall in 1580 (REO., p. 298), John Pape was a writer in Edinbergh in 1598 (Edinb. Marr.), another John Paip, writer to the signet, is recorded in Aberdeen in 1599 (CRA., p. 206), and Thomas Paip was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1622 (NSCM., I, p. 130). Mr. John Paip had a charter of the lands of Kildin in 1606 (RD., p. 498), Magister Robert Paip, advocate, was burgess of Aberdeen in 1624 (Inquis., 1137), and Thomas Pope or Pape is recorded at Cullicudden in 1653 (IDR., p. 249). Paipe 1595.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Anglo-Latin) a nickname and pageant-name [Old English pápa, Latin papa, pope, father] Hugh le Pope.—Hundred Rolls Lepape (sometimes Le Pape) is a fairly common French surname.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who played the part of the Pope in pageants and plays.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A sobriquet. See Ecclesiastical Surnames.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Greek and Latin, Papa, father.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

From the Old Norse, Papar; from the Frisian, Poppe; from the Danish, Pop; from the Swedish, Pape; from the Flemish, Papy, Poppin; from the Dutch, Paap, Pop; from the German, Pape, Papke, Poppe, Poper; in the Domesday Book, Papald; personal name Poppe was the name of a Duke of Friesland slain in battle by Charles Martel, A.D. 734.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Between 1372 and 1407, eight of the bailiffs of Gloucester bore the name of Pope (F.). The name is still in that city.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

(Highland Scots, English) The Pope surname means 'father', 'pope', 'bishop'. It was first recorded in Caithness. But has expanded down to the south coast of England in the adjacent counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent, where the Popes have made their permanent home. In Scotland the Popes live in the Northern most counties of Sutherland, Caithness, Sutherland, Banffshire, Moray, Aberdeenshire, and Angus. In England most Pope families live in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Middlesex, and Lancashire. In the United States the states of North Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi have the highest concentrations of Pope families.

- dinn315

Pope Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Pope Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Pope (Hindi: पोपे, Marathi: पोपे, Russian: Попе) is found most frequently in The United States. It may also occur as a variant: Popé, Pöpe or Pópé. Click here for other potential spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Pope? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 4,577th most frequently held surname globally, borne by around 1 in 59,321 people. Pope occurs mostly in The Americas, where 74 percent of Pope are found; 72 percent are found in North America and 72 percent are found in Anglo-North America. It is also the 106,362nd most frequently used first name at a global level, held by 4,245 people.

The last name is most widespread in The United States, where it is borne by 84,322 people, or 1 in 4,299. In The United States Pope is primarily concentrated in: North Carolina, where 10 percent live, Texas, where 10 percent live and California, where 7 percent live. Other than The United States this surname is found in 131 countries. It also occurs in England, where 13 percent live and Australia, where 5 percent live.

Pope Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Pope has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Pope last name rose 558 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 164 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 380 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 280 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it rose 149 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Pope Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the surname is principally Catholic (54%) in Ireland and Christian (100%) in Kenya.

In The United States those holding the Pope surname are 12.73% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 59.5% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Pope earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 24.46% less than the national average, earning 261,431 kr per year; in Peru they earn 15.21% more than the national average, earning S/. 22,334 per year; in South Africa they earn 70.01% more than the national average, earning R 404,016 per year; in United States they earn 5.08% less than the national average, earning $40,958 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.49% more than the national average, earning $52,905 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Popé922/
Pöpe921/
Poppe8922,420/
Poper89611/
Popei89409/
Popes89387/
Popet89264/
Poupe89189/
Popea89187/
Popeh89103/
Popie8973/
Phope8960/
Popey8957/
Popez8957/
Popee8952/
Popeu8946/
Popeț8931/
Popeć8930/
Poepe8926/
Popeľ8917/
Poope8913/
Potpe8912/
Popej897/
Poipe892/
Popge891/
Poype891/
Pophe891/
Pop86252,709/
Pópé8341/
Popper803,323/
Poupet80933/
Poppie80264/
Poppes80186/
Poupee80142/
Poeppe8085/
Popetz8050/
Pospeh8044/
Pophet8044/
Phopet8041/
Poyper8040/
Poppei8029/
Pospea8029/
Poppey8027/
Pooper8027/
Poupeh8026/
Popesh8023/
Popets8020/
Poupée8018/
Pouper8016/
Phophe8016/
Poppet8013/
Poopet8011/
Pooped809/
Popeea807/
Popiej807/
Popech806/
Poupie804/
Poopie803/
Popeat803/
Posper803/
Popest803/
Pouppe803/
Phopee803/
Popeet802/
Popiea802/
Poipet802/
Popiey801/
Poppeh801/
Poppeu801/
Phoper801/
Poppee801/
Poopei801/
Popeah801/
Podper801/
Popeis801/
Poubpe801/
Poupey801/
Poupez801/
Pouphe801/
D'Pope801/
Poopey801/
Poypet801/
Popeth801/
Popped801/
Poopea801/
Poopee801/
Poepee801/
Poephe800/
Popher800/
Poppea800/
Popa75204,076/
Popp7546,331/
Pape7539,357/
Popy7537,519/
Popi7516,465/
Pops75171/
Poup7572/
Phop7534/
Poip7526/
Popt7511/
Poop757/
Pápe757/
Popf755/
Posp754/
Poph753/
Poyp752/
Pohp752/
Pāpe751/
Potp751/
Puop751/
Pobp751/
Pfop751/
Phophet73249/
Pospech73121/
Poppett73104/
Phopech7325/
Pouppez7315/
Popeová7310/
Popetch737/
Popesch736/
Pospesh735/
Poeppey734/
Poppest733/
Poophet733/
Potpher732/
Phoopet732/
Poopech732/
Popperr731/
Poupees731/
Hpopper731/
Phopher731/
Poppeer731/
Phoopea731/
Phopeth731/
Popheat731/
Pohypej731/
Poosper730/
Poppy672,510/
Poppi672,463/
Popis671,998/
Paape671,468/
Poppa671,425/
Popaj671,301/
Papet671,099/
Pappe671,088/
Papes67922/
Papez67806/
Phoph67788/
Paupe67679/
Paspe67603/
Phuop67520/
Poupa67448/
Paepe67421/
Popoy67362/
Paper67337/
Photphet67324/
Popoi67320/
Popit67305/
Papeš67296/
Popps67278/
Pöppe67278/
Päper67260/
Poupi67243/
Poopa67241/
Popay67227/
Popio67179/
Papei67169/
Papie67158/
Papey67158/
Popii67144/
Popui67124/
Poupy67118/
Poupě67117/
Popai67111/
Papea67109/
Popyi6793/
Phopa6792/
Papee6757/
Popoa6740/
Phopi6739/
Pápeš6738/
Poipy6736/
Poppé6736/
Poupé6734/
Phape6733/
Papeu6729/
Popid6726/
Poppeová6726/
Pospy6723/
Pápes6723/
Phopetch6722/
Papep6720/
Popiy6716/
Pgopi6716/
Phopphet6715/
Pospi6714/
Paphe6713/
Popeľová6713/
Poipa6711/
Phoup6710/
Popoj6710/
Papej679/
Poopetch679/
Phouphet678/
Phoophet678/
Potpi677/
Popha676/
Phophech676/
Popih675/
Popejová675/
Papée674/
Popiț674/
Poops673/
Poopy673/
Pospeich673/
Puipe672/
Popiz672/
Paped672/
Posps672/
Pophi672/
Puopi672/
Popij672/
Popiś672/
Poppeova672/
Poepi672/
Patpe672/
Phohp672/
Phoopech672/
Possp671/
Poojp671/
Poophead671/
Papfe671/
Pôppe671/
Papeh671/
Pabpe671/
Pépei671/
Popch671/
Phepe671/
Ppopt671/
Pppop671/
Phgop671/
Phopheat671/
Phoiphet671/
Pophetch671/
Poopeach671/
Poopi671/
Pojpa671/
Poipf671/
Hpape671/
Pfape670/
Poupp670/
Poopp670/

Pope Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Pope in the Marathi language
पोपेpope-
Pope in the Hindi language
पोपेpope93.33
पोपpopa6.67
Pope in the Russian language
Попеpope-

Search for Another Surname

Pope Reference & Research

Pope FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Pope FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Pope
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis