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

Popović, 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 Popović surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Popović in America

Popović is the 20750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Popović surname appeared 1,274 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 Popović.

We can also compare 2010 data for Popović 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 Popović

The surname Popovic originated in Serbia, deriving from the Slavic word "pop" meaning "priest" or "clergy". This name first emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries, when the Serbian Orthodox Church played a prominent role in the region.

Historically, the Popovic surname was closely associated with families of Serbian Orthodox priests and clergy members. These families often lived in or near monasteries, churches, and religious centers, particularly in the regions of central and southern Serbia, as well as parts of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Popovic name dates back to the 14th century, when a Serbian monk named Teodosije Popovic authored a biography of the Serbian Prince Lazar, a pivotal figure in the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire in 1389.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Popovic surname was Vuk Popovic, a Serbian nobleman and military commander who fought against the Ottoman invasion of Serbia. He is known for his leadership in the defense of the city of Smederevo in 1459.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Popovic individuals gained prominence in various fields. Jovan Popovic (1768-1830) was a Serbian painter and one of the first representatives of modern Serbian art. Milos Popovic (1876-1901) was a Serbian poet and writer whose works explored themes of nationalism and social justice.

In the 20th century, Pavle Popovic (1868-1939) was a Serbian theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Belgrade and made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.

Another notable figure was Vladeta Popovic (1914-1994), a Serbian actor and director who starred in numerous films and theater productions, earning him the title of "People's Artist of Serbia".

The Popovic surname has also been carried by individuals from other Slavic countries, such as Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to historical migrations and cultural exchanges within the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Popović

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

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

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

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