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

Papion, 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 Papion surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Papion in America

Papion is the 154907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Papion surname appeared 105 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 Papion.

We can also compare 2010 data for Papion 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 Papion

The surname PAPION has its origins in France, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "papion," which referred to a butterfly. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone who was fond of or had an affinity for butterflies.

One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Jean Papion, a French merchant who lived in the town of Rouen during the late 14th century. Records show that he was involved in the textile trade and was a respected member of the local community.

In the 15th century, the PAPION name appeared in several historical documents from the region of Normandy, indicating that the family had established roots in that area. One notable mention was in the records of the Duchy of Normandy, where a certain Guillaume Papion was listed as a landowner in the village of Honfleur in the year 1462.

As the name spread across France, variations in spelling emerged, such as Papillon, Papion, and Papyion. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time period.

One of the most prominent figures in the history of the PAPION surname was Jacques Papion, a French philosopher and writer who lived from 1515 to 1590. He is best known for his work "Discours sur la Nature Humaine," which explored the complexities of human nature and was widely read during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the PAPION name made its way to the New World, with several families bearing this surname settling in the French colonies of North America. One such individual was Pierre Papion, who was born in 1645 in the town of Dieppe, France, and later immigrated to the colony of Acadia (present-day eastern Canada) in 1670.

Another notable figure was Marguerite Papion, a French noblewoman who lived from 1690 to 1755. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and established several charitable foundations in the city of Paris, which provided support for orphans and the impoverished.

As the centuries passed, the PAPION surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with bearers of this name making their mark in various fields, from the arts and literature to politics and business.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Papion

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

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

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

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