2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pappion
A surname likely derived from the Greek "pappos" meaning grandfather or ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Pappion. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pappion 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Pappion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pappion
The surname PAPPION has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "pape," meaning "pope," and may have been initially used as a nickname for someone associated with the Catholic Church or a religious order.
The earliest known recorded instance of the PAPPION surname can be found in the tax records of the city of Marseille in 1275, where a certain Guilhem Pappion is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region of Provence at that time.
During the Middle Ages, the PAPPION name appeared in various historical documents across southern France, particularly in the areas of Languedoc and Roussillon. One notable example is a legal document from 1437, which mentions a Pierre Pappion as a witness in a property dispute in the town of Narbonne.
In the 16th century, the PAPPION family gained prominence in the city of Montpellier, where several members held positions of importance within the local administration and judiciary. Jean Pappion (1523-1589), for instance, served as a magistrate and was known for his legal expertise.
Over the centuries, the PAPPION surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Papion, Papeyon, and Papillon, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was found.
Notable individuals with the PAPPION surname include:
1. Philippe Pappion (1675-1743), a French Catholic priest and theologian who authored several works on religious philosophy.
2. Jacques Pappion (1701-1778), a renowned French architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Marseille and its surroundings.
3. Marie-Thérèse Pappion (1788-1862), a French painter and portraitist who achieved recognition for her works depicting scenes from Provençal rural life.
4. Émile Pappion (1832-1901), a French military officer who served in the Franco-Prussian War and later became a prominent advocate for veterans' rights.
5. Edmond Pappion (1856-1924), a French botanist and explorer who led several expeditions to the Amazon region, making significant contributions to the study of South American flora.
While the PAPPION surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage, with descendants bearing this name found in various countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pappion
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pappion 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 Pappion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.6% · 75
- White19.5% · 23
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pappion
Pappion appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Pappion 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 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pappion bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Pappion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pappion?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Pappion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Pappion?
Pappion ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Pappion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Pappion.
Has Pappion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pappion went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Pappion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pappion, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Pappion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pappion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.6%), White (19.5%), Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Pappion (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 Pappion mean?
A surname likely derived from the Greek "pappos" meaning grandfather or ancestor. 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 Pappion (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 common is the surname Pappion?
See how many people have the last name Pappion on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.