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

Pop, 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 Pop surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pop in America

Pop is the 17921st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pop surname appeared 1,560 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pop.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pop 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 Pop

The surname "Pop" is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in the areas now known as Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. The name is thought to have derived from the Slavic word "pop," which means "priest" or "clergyman." It is likely that the name was initially given to the sons or relatives of priests, or to individuals who lived near or worked for a church.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Pop" can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries in various church records and census documents in the regions mentioned above. For example, there are records of a Pop family living in the village of Dolhești, Moldova, in the late 15th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "Pop" was Stefan Pop, a Romanian nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the battles against the Ottoman Empire during that time.

In the 17th century, the surname "Pop" began to spread to other parts of Eastern Europe, including Poland and Hungary. During this period, the name underwent some variations in spelling, such as "Popp" and "Popov."

Another notable figure with the surname "Pop" was Petru Pop (1833-1892), a Romanian writer and journalist who was instrumental in the movement for the unification of Transylvania with Romania.

In the 19th century, the surname "Pop" also gained prominence in the United States, particularly among Romanian immigrants. One famous American with this surname was Ion Gheorghe Pop (1861-1927), a Romanian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the first Romanian Orthodox church in the United States.

Other notable individuals with the surname "Pop" include Mihai Pop (1907-2000), a Romanian mathematician and academic, and Dumitru Pop (1928-2018), a Romanian footballer and manager who played for several teams in Romania and France.

Throughout its history, the surname "Pop" has maintained a strong connection to its Slavic and Eastern European roots, although it has spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pop

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

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 Pop 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 Pop 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 Pop was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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