2000
#25,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Pop
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "priest" or "cleric".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,769 Americans carry the last name Pop. That puts it at #12,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pop 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 Pop with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,783
Census rank
#12,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,415 bearers of the surname Pop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pop, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.1%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pop
Among Census respondents with the surname Pop, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.1%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pop 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 Pop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 1,771
- Hispanic or Latino19.1% · 462
- Black or African American4.7% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 43
- Two or more races1.1% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pop
Pop 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
#17,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,560
+640 bearers (+69.6%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 7,351 places
2020
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
+855 bearers (+54.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 5,625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,272 | 920 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,921 | 1,560 | 0.53 | +640 bearers (+69.6%) | Up 7,351 places |
| 2020 | #12,296 | 2,415 | 0.81 | +855 bearers (+54.8%) | Up 5,625 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 Pop 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 | #17,921 | #12,296 | 31.4% |
| Count | 1,560 | 2,415 | 54.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.81 | 52.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pop bearers went from 1,560 to 2,415 (+54.8% change). The surname moved up 5,625 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,921 to #12,296.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pop
FAQ
Pop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pop?
Name Census estimates that about 2,769 living Americans carry the surname Pop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,783 residents.
How common is Pop?
Pop ranks #12,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,415 people with the surname Pop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,769), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pop.
Has Pop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pop went from 1,560 recorded bearers to 2,415. That is an increase of 855 (+54.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,921 to #12,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Pop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pop, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.1%) and Black (4.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Hispanic (19.1%), Black (4.7%). 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 Pop (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 Pop mean?
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "priest" or "cleric". 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 Pop (0.81 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 are called Pop?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Pop on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.