2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Papadopulos
A Greek surname meaning "priest's son" or "son of the priest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Papadopulos. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papadopulos 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.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Papadopulos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papadopulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Papadopulos
The surname Papadopulos has its origins in Greece, dating back to the Byzantine period. It is derived from the Greek words "papas" meaning priest and "doulos" meaning servant or attendant. Thus, the name literally translates to "servant of the priest" or "assistant to the priest."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in various church records and manuscripts. One notable reference is found in the archives of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, where a monk named Papadopulos is mentioned in a document from 1187.
In the 14th century, the name gained prominence when a family bearing the surname Papadopulos played a significant role in the Orthodox Church hierarchy in the region of Thessaly. Georgios Papadopulos (1287-1356) was a prominent cleric who served as the Metropolitan Bishop of Larissa.
During the Ottoman period, the Papadopulos name was prevalent among Greek families in various regions of the empire, particularly in the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. The name was also found in areas with large Greek populations, such as Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and Smyrna (modern-day Izmir).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Papadopulos name outside of Greece can be found in the records of the Venetian Republic, where a merchant named Antonios Papadopulos (1493-1567) is mentioned as conducting trade between Venice and the Greek islands.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Papadopulos:
1. Gregorios Papadopulos (1654-1726), a Greek scholar and theologian who authored several works on Orthodox theology and philosophy.
2. Ioannis Papadopulos (1771-1845), a Greek revolutionary who participated in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
3. Konstantinos Papadopulos (1854-1912), a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1904 to 1908.
4. Georgios Papadopulos (1919-1999), a Cypriot politician who served as the first President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1960 to 1977.
5. Konstantinos Papadopulos (born 1949), a Greek diplomat and former Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The surname Papadopulos remains prevalent among Greek communities worldwide, serving as a testament to its rich historical roots and the influential role played by those who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papadopulos
Among Census respondents with the surname Papadopulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Papadopulos 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 Papadopulos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino37.0% · 44
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papadopulos
Papadopulos 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+9 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,256 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-22 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 1,256 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 20,474 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 Papadopulos 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 | #122,314 | #142,788 | -16.7% |
| Count | 141 | 119 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papadopulos bearers went from 141 to 119 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 20,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #142,788.
FAQ
Papadopulos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papadopulos?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Papadopulos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Papadopulos?
Papadopulos ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Papadopulos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Papadopulos.
Has Papadopulos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papadopulos went from 141 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Papadopulos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papadopulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (37.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Papadopulos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papadopulos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.3%), Hispanic (37.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Papadopulos (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 Papadopulos mean?
A Greek surname meaning "priest's son" or "son of the 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 Papadopulos (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Papadopulos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.