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

Pope, 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 Pope surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pope in America

Pope is the 528th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pope surname appeared 63,881 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Pope.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pope 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 Pope

The surname POPE is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a occupational name derived from the Middle English word "pope," which was a title used for a priest or the leader of the Christian church.

The name likely originated from areas where the ecclesiastical authority of the Pope was particularly strong, such as in parts of southern England. It may have initially been used as a nickname for someone who worked closely with the church or held a position of authority within the clergy.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest surviving public records in England, a man named Roger Pope is mentioned as holding land in Gloucestershire. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 13th century.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname POPE. However, it does mention several individuals with the first name "Pope," indicating that the title was in use at the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname POPE can be found in the 13th century. In 1275, a man named Walter Pope was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire. This document was a financial record kept by the English Exchequer.

Another early example is Sir Thomas Pope (c. 1507-1559), a prominent figure in Tudor England. He was the founder of Trinity College, Oxford, and served as a member of Parliament and a privy councillor under King Henry VIII and Queen Mary I.

Other notable individuals with the surname POPE include:

1. Alexander Pope (1688-1744), an English poet and satirist, best known for his works "The Rape of the Lock" and translations of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey."
2. John Pope (1822-1892), a career United States Army officer who served as a general during the American Civil War.
3. Nathaniel Pope (1784-1850), an American politician and jurist who served as the Secretary of the Illinois Territory and as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Illinois.
4. William Pope (1803-1879), an English architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings in London and other parts of England during the 19th century.
5. Jane Pope (c. 1566-1614), an English playwright and poet who was one of the first professional female writers in English literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pope

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

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

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

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