Find out how popular the last name Passas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Passas.

Passas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Passas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Passas in America

Passas is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Passas surname appeared 129 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Passas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Passas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Passas

The surname Passas is believed to have originated in Greece, with roots dating back to the Byzantine era. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "pasas," which means "pasha" or "governor," indicating a possible connection to an influential family or position of authority during that time.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Passas can be found in the archives of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, where a monk named Ioannis Passas is listed as a scribe in the 14th century. This suggests that the name was already in use among Greek families during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, a document from the island of Naxos references a landowner named Georgios Passas, indicating that the name had spread to other parts of the Greek archipelago by that time. Additionally, there are records of a merchant named Alexandros Passas who traded in the Aegean Sea during the 17th century.

The name Passas also appears in historical texts from the Ottoman Empire, where it was sometimes rendered as "Pasha" or "Pasha-zade," reflecting the Turkish influence in the region. One notable figure was Mehmet Pasha, a military commander who served in the Ottoman army during the 16th century.

In more recent times, several individuals with the surname Passas have gained recognition in various fields. Dimitrios Passas (1859-1935) was a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Mayor of Athens and later as the Greek Ambassador to the United States. Another notable Passas was Ioannis Passas (1920-2002), a renowned Greek poet and translator whose works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.

Other notable individuals with the surname Passas include:

1. Nikolaos Passas (1856-1923), a Greek lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Greek parliament.
2. Konstantinos Passas (1892-1967), a Greek Army officer who fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I.
3. Eleni Passas (1928-2022), a Greek painter and sculptor known for her abstract works.
4. Georgios Passas (1957-present), a Greek businessman and philanthropist who has supported various charitable organizations.
5. Theodoros Passas (1973-present), a Greek academic and expert in the field of criminology and security studies.

While the surname Passas has its roots in Greece, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Passas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Passas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Passas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Passas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Passas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Passas, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!