2000
#1,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.21
Uncommon Last name
Pappas
A Greek occupational surname referring to a priest or someone associated with the Eastern Orthodox church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,429 Americans carry the last name Pappas. That puts it at #2,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pappas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pappas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,666
Census rank
#2,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,199 bearers of the surname Pappas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pappas
The surname Pappas originated from Greece and is derived from the Greek word "pappas," which means "priest" or "father." It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who served as priests or had a close association with the clergy.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the Greek Orthodox Church played a significant role in preserving and spreading the faith throughout the Byzantine Empire. During this period, the name Pappas became prevalent among members of the clergy and their families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pappas can be found in the Byzantine manuscript "Codex Sinaiticus," dated to the 4th century AD. This ancient manuscript contains portions of the Greek Bible and is believed to have been written by a scribe named Pappas.
In the 9th century, a Greek monk named Pappas is mentioned in the hagiography of Saint Methodius, one of the founders of the Cyrillic alphabet. This account suggests that the name Pappas was already well-established among the clergy during that time.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule over Greece, from the 15th to the 19th centuries, many Greek families adopted surnames based on their professions or associations. It is likely that some individuals with the surname Pappas were descendants of priests or had ancestral ties to the clergy.
One notable bearer of the name Pappas was Christodoulos Pappas (1592-1661), a Greek Orthodox priest and scholar who served as the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1639 to 1644. His contributions to the Greek Orthodox Church and his writings on theology and philosophy are still studied today.
Another prominent figure was Ioannis Pappas (1767-1841), a Greek merchant and philanthropist who played a significant role in supporting the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. He provided financial aid and supplies to the Greek revolutionaries, contributing to the establishment of modern Greece.
In the field of literature, Markos Pappas (1833-1907) was a renowned Greek poet and translator. He is best known for his translations of works by Homer, Virgil, and other classical authors into modern Greek, making them accessible to a wider audience.
During the 20th century, Stavros Pappas (1906-1993) was a Greek-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Pappas Restaurants chain in the United States. He played a significant role in promoting Greek cuisine and culture in America.
The surname Pappas has also been associated with various place names in Greece, such as the village of Pappades in Crete and the town of Pappas in Thessaly. These locations may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Pappas who settled or had a presence in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pappas
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pappas 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 Pappas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 13,931
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 701
- Two or more races2.3% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 104
- Black or African American0.6% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pappas
Pappas 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
#2,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,559
-195 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#2,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,199
-1,360 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 5.09
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,977 | 16,754 | 6.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,198 | 16,559 | 5.61 | -195 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #2,334 | 15,199 | 5.09 | -1,360 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 136 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 Pappas 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 | #2,198 | #2,334 | -6.2% |
| Count | 16,559 | 15,199 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.61 | 5.09 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pappas bearers went from 16,559 to 15,199 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,198 to #2,334.
FAQ
Pappas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pappas?
Name Census estimates that about 17,429 living Americans carry the surname Pappas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,666 residents.
How common is Pappas?
Pappas ranks #2,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,199 people with the surname Pappas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Pappas.
Has Pappas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pappas went from 16,559 recorded bearers to 15,199. That is a decrease of 1,360 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,198 to #2,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Pappas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Pappas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (13,931 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pappas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Pappas (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 Pappas mean?
A Greek occupational surname referring to a priest or someone associated with the Eastern Orthodox church. 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 Pappas (5.09 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 common is the surname Pappas?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Pappas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.