Find out how popular the last name Papadopoulos is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Papadopoulos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Papadopoulos in America

Papadopoulos is the 13214th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Papadopoulos surname appeared 2,313 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Papadopoulos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Papadopoulos to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Papadopoulos

The surname Papadopoulos originated from Greece, tracing its roots back to the Byzantine era. It is derived from the Greek words "papas" meaning priest or father, and "poulos" meaning son. The name was initially given to the sons of priests and clergymen within the Greek Orthodox Church.

During the Byzantine period, the name Papadopoulos appeared in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable mention was in a 12th-century document from the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, where a monk named Papadopoulos was listed among the signatories.

The earliest recorded example of the name dates back to the 14th century, when a certain Ioannis Papadopoulos was mentioned in a legal document from the island of Crete. This document was written in the Byzantine Greek language and included references to the village of Apokorona, which could be an older spelling of a place name associated with the surname.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Papadopoulos was Georgios Papadopoulos (1495-1568), a scholar and theologian from Constantinople. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Greek literature and his defense of Orthodox Christianity during the tumultuous period of the Ottoman Empire.

Another notable individual was Konstantinos Papadopoulos (1655-1730), a Greek merchant and philanthropist from the island of Chios. He established several schools and charities in his homeland, leaving a lasting impact on the education and welfare of the local community.

In the 19th century, Alexandros Papadopoulos (1818-1892) was a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Greece. He played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the recognition of Greece's independence by the Ottoman Empire.

During the 20th century, Giorgos Papadopoulos (1919-1999) was a prominent Greek military officer and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister and President of the ruling military junta in Greece from 1967 to 1973, a period marked by political turmoil and repression.

The surname Papadopoulos has a rich history and has been borne by many notable individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting its deep roots in Greek culture and the Greek Orthodox tradition.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Papadopoulos

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Papadopoulos.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Papadopoulos was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Papadopoulos has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Papadopoulos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Papadopoulos, please contact us.

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