Papathanasiou last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Papathanasiou

A Greek surname indicating the son or descendant of Athanasios or Thanasius.

Papathanasiou, 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 Papathanasiou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Papathanasiou in America

Papathanasiou is the 121590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Papathanasiou surname appeared 142 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Papathanasiou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Papathanasiou 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 121590 134037 -9.74%
Count 142 116 20.16%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.04 22.22%

The history of the last name Papathanasiou

The surname Papathanasiou has its origins in Greece, dating back to the Byzantine era around the 11th century. It is derived from the Greek words "papas," meaning priest, and "Athanasios," a popular Greek name meaning "immortal." The name likely originated as a patronymic, indicating that the bearer's father or an ancestor was a priest named Athanasios.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Papathanasiou can be found in a manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a monk named Stephanos Papathanasiou residing in the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. This monastic community, located in northern Greece, has been an important center of Orthodox Christianity since its establishment in the 10th century.

During the Ottoman rule in Greece, which lasted from the 15th to the 19th century, the Papathanasiou name was prevalent in various regions, including the Peloponnese peninsula and the islands of the Aegean Sea. The name was often associated with members of the Greek Orthodox clergy or families with religious ties.

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name Papathanasiou was Ioannis Papathanasiou, a scholar and teacher who lived from 1725 to 1796. He taught at several prestigious educational institutions in Thessaloniki and contributed to the preservation and dissemination of Greek culture during the Ottoman period.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Konstantinos Papathanasiou, a Greek military officer and diplomat who lived from 1845 to 1919. He played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence and later served as the Greek ambassador to several countries, including Russia and the United States.

In the 20th century, Georgios Papathanasiou (1900-1982) was a renowned Greek poet and literary critic. His works explored themes of Greek identity, tradition, and the complexities of modern life. He was a influential figure in the Greek literary scene and received numerous accolades for his contributions.

The name Papathanasiou has also been associated with various place names in Greece, such as the village of Papathanasiou in the region of Laconia, located in the southern Peloponnese. This village likely took its name from an early settler or prominent family bearing the surname.

Throughout its history, the surname Papathanasiou has maintained a strong connection to Greek culture, religion, and intellectual pursuits, reflecting the diverse and rich heritage of the Greek people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Papathanasiou

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

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 Papathanasiou was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.18% 138
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Papathanasiou has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.18% 84.48% 13.98%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 12.07% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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 Papathanasiou was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Papathanasiou last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on January 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/papathanasiou-surname-popularity/.

"Papathanasiou last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/papathanasiou-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 January, 2025

Papathanasiou last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/papathanasiou-surname-popularity/.

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