2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Papoi
A Latvian surname derived from the personal name "Papoi".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Papoi. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papoi 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Papoi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papoi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Papoi
The surname PAPOI is believed to have originated in Greece, with its earliest known records dating back to the Byzantine era in the 9th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "papas," which means "priest" or "father," suggesting a potential connection to the early Greek Orthodox clergy.
One of the earliest documented references to the PAPOI surname can be found in a collection of manuscripts from the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, where a monk named Ioannis PAPOI is mentioned as a scribe in the year 871 AD. This provides evidence of the name's existence during the medieval period in the region of modern-day Greece.
In the 12th century, a nobleman named Demetrios PAPOI is recorded as having served under the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (1118-1180 AD). This indicates that the PAPOI surname had spread beyond the confines of the clergy and was also present among the aristocratic classes of the Byzantine Empire.
Another notable figure bearing the PAPOI surname was Georgios PAPOI, a scholar and professor who taught at the University of Constantinople in the early 15th century, during the final years of the Byzantine Empire. His writings on philosophy and theology have been preserved in various libraries across Europe.
During the Ottoman period in Greece, the PAPOI surname can be found in various records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One such example is Konstantinos PAPOI, a merchant from the island of Crete who was involved in trade with Venice and other Mediterranean ports in the late 16th century.
In more recent times, the PAPOI surname has gained recognition through the work of Nikolaos PAPOI (1888-1964), a Greek writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and essays celebrating the rich cultural heritage of his homeland.
While the PAPOI surname may have evolved over the centuries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation, its origins can be traced back to the early Byzantine era, reflecting the cultural and religious influences that shaped the Greek-speaking world during that time period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papoi
Among Census respondents with the surname Papoi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Papoi 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 Papoi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papoi
Papoi 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-11 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,655 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 20,655 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Papoi 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papoi bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Papoi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papoi?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Papoi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Papoi?
Papoi ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Papoi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Papoi.
Has Papoi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papoi went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Papoi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papoi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Papoi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papoi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Papoi (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 Papoi mean?
A Latvian surname derived from the personal name "Papoi". 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 Papoi (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 Papoi?
Want to know how many people have the last name Papoi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.