2000
#5,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Papa
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who served as the Pope or a Catholic priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,929 Americans carry the last name Papa. That puts it at #5,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papa surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Papa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,467
Census rank
#5,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,042 bearers of the surname Papa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papa, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Papa
The surname PAPA is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "papa," which means "father" or "pope." The name likely originated as a nickname or as a reference to someone who held a respected position within the church or the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAPA can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. In this document, a certain "Petrus Papa" is mentioned, suggesting the use of the surname at that time.
Another notable historical reference to the name PAPA can be found in the Liber Censuum, a 13th-century papal register compiled under the direction of Pope Honorius III. In this document, a "Stephanus Papa" is listed as a canon of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname PAPA was Giovanni Papa, a prominent Italian jurist and canonist who lived in the 13th century. He served as a professor of law at the University of Bologna and authored several influential works on canon law.
During the Renaissance period, the PAPA surname gained further prominence with the artist Simone Papa, who was active in the 15th century. He was a notable painter from the city of Siena and is known for his works in the Duomo di Siena and other churches in the region.
Another notable figure with the surname PAPA was Niccolò Papa, a 16th-century Italian architect and military engineer. He is best known for his work on the fortifications of several cities in the Papal States, including the design of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Papa was a prominent Italian composer and music theorist. He was born in 1697 in Naples and is particularly known for his contributions to the development of the Neapolitan school of opera.
The surname PAPA has also been associated with prominent individuals in more recent history, such as the Italian politician and jurist Vincenzo Papa, who served as the President of the Constitutional Court of Italy from 1986 to 1995.
While the surname PAPA has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely due to migration and cultural exchanges. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the Italian peninsula and its rich historical and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papa
Among Census respondents with the surname Papa, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Papa bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Papa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 4,689
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.5% · 757
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 373
- Two or more races2.5% · 149
- Black or African American1.2% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papa
Papa appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,005
+121 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#5,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,042
+37 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Up 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,438 | 5,884 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,768 | 6,005 | 2.04 | +121 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #5,557 | 6,042 | 2.02 | +37 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 211 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Papa surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,768 | #5,557 | 3.7% |
| Count | 6,005 | 6,042 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 2.02 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papa bearers went from 6,005 to 6,042 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,768 to #5,557.
FAQ
Papa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papa?
Name Census estimates that about 6,929 living Americans carry the surname Papa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,467 residents.
How common is Papa?
Papa ranks #5,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,042 people with the surname Papa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Papa.
Has Papa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papa went from 6,005 recorded bearers to 6,042. That is an increase of 37 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,768 to #5,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Papa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papa, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Papa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (4,689 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%), Hispanic (6.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Papa (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Papa mean?
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who served as the Pope or a Catholic priest. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Papa (2.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Papa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.