2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Papion
A French surname likely derived from the occupation of dealing with parrots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Papion. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papion 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Papion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papion, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and White (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 15th century, the PAPION name appeared in several historical documents from the region of Normandy, indicating that the family had established roots in that area.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papion
Among Census respondents with the surname Papion, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and White (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Papion 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 Papion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino47.1% · 49
- Black or African American43.3% · 45
- White8.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papion
Papion 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,663 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,663 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Papion 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 | #154,907 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papion bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Papion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papion?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Papion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Papion?
Papion ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Papion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Papion.
Has Papion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papion went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Papion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papion, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and White (8.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Papion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (49 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (47.1%), Black (43.3%), White (8.7%). 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 Papion (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 Papion mean?
A French surname likely derived from the occupation of dealing with parrots. 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 Papion (0.03 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 are called Papion?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Papion at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.