2000
#486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,750
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.89
Uncommon Last name
Pope
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman, priest, or someone who worked for the Catholic Church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 70,153 Americans carry the last name Pope. That puts it at #541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pope 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 Pope with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,886
Census rank
#541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,177 bearers of the surname Pope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pope, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pope
Among Census respondents with the surname Pope, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pope 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 Pope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 41,640
- Black or African American23.2% · 14,189
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,605
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,011
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 367
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 365
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pope
Pope 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
#528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,881
+2,131 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 21.66
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,177
-2,704 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 20.47
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #486 | 61,750 | 22.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #528 | 63,881 | 21.66 | +2,131 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #541 | 61,177 | 20.47 | -2,704 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13 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 Pope 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 | #528 | #541 | -2.5% |
| Count | 63,881 | 61,177 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 21.66 | 20.47 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pope bearers went from 63,881 to 61,177 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #528 to #541.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pope
FAQ
Pope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pope?
Name Census estimates that about 70,153 living Americans carry the surname Pope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,886 residents.
How common is Pope?
Pope ranks #541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,177 people with the surname Pope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (70,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Pope.
Has Pope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pope went from 63,881 recorded bearers to 61,177. That is a decrease of 2,704 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #528 to #541.
What does the Census say about the background of Pope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pope, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Pope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (41,640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (23.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Pope (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 Pope mean?
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman, priest, or someone who worked for the Catholic Church. 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 Pope (20.47 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 Americans have the surname Pope?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.