2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pappillion
A surname relating to the French word for butterfly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Pappillion. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pappillion 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Pappillion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappillion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.9%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pappillion
The surname Pappillion has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "papillon," meaning butterfly, likely referring to a person who worked with or traded in butterflies or butterfly-related products.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Normandy from the 12th century, where a certain Guillaume Pappillion is mentioned as a merchant in Rouen. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various monastic records and charters, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, where a certain Jehan Pappillion is listed as a landowner in the village of Oissel.
During the 14th century, the name continued to spread throughout northern France, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such person was Pierre Pappillion, a renowned painter and illuminator who worked on the famous Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry manuscript between 1412 and 1416.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various tax records and municipal documents in cities like Paris and Rouen. A certain Jacques Pappillion, born in 1435, was a prominent merchant and member of the Guild of Haberdashers in Paris.
The 16th century saw the name spreading to other parts of Europe, particularly in the Low Countries and England. One notable figure from this period was Joris Pappillion, a Flemish botanist and naturalist born in Antwerp in 1548, who made significant contributions to the study of butterflies and moths.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found in various historical records across Europe, with individuals bearing the surname making their mark in various fields, including arts, sciences, and commerce. Some other notable figures with the surname include:
1. Marguerite Pappillion (1589-1652), a French artist known for her intricate embroidery work.
2. Jean-Baptiste Pappillion (1698-1776), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
3. Thomas Pappillion (1723-1804), an English botanist and horticulturist who contributed to the study of plant taxonomy.
4. Marie-Louise Pappillion (1818-1892), a French writer and feminist activist who campaigned for women's rights and education.
5. Edouard Pappillion (1856-1923), a French composer and conductor who wrote several operas and symphonic works.
While the surname Pappillion may have evolved and taken on various spellings over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in France, where it likely referred to individuals associated with the trade or study of butterflies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pappillion
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappillion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.9%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pappillion 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 Pappillion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.9% · 86
- White12.8% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pappillion
Pappillion 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,487 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,487 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Pappillion 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pappillion bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Pappillion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pappillion?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Pappillion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Pappillion?
Pappillion ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Pappillion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pappillion.
Has Pappillion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pappillion went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pappillion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappillion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.9%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pappillion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pappillion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (78.9%), White (12.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Pappillion (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 Pappillion mean?
A surname relating to the French word for butterfly. 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 Pappillion (0.04 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 share the surname Pappillion?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.