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

Popowich, 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 Popowich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Popowich in America

Popowich is the 73666th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Popowich surname appeared 263 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 Popowich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Popowich 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 Popowich

The surname Popowich originated in Eastern Europe, primarily in the regions of Ukraine and Belarus, during the late 16th to early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic root word "pop," which translates to "priest" or "cleric." The suffix "-ovich" is a common patronymic ending indicating "son of," suggesting that the name initially referred to the son of a priest or a person belonging to a priestly family.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Popowich can be found in the Metryka Litewska, a collection of administrative records from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dating back to the 16th century. The name appears in various spellings, including Popowicz, Popovich, and Popowycz, reflecting the linguistic variations common during that period.

In the 17th century, the name Popowich gained prominence among the Cossack nobility in the region of Zaporozhian Sich, a semi-autonomous Cossack territory located in modern-day Ukraine. Several historical figures with the surname Popowich emerged during this time, notably Ivan Popowich (1620-1685), a prominent Cossack leader and military commander who played a crucial role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule.

As the Popowich family spread across Eastern Europe, different branches adopted variations of the surname, such as Popovic, Popovich, and Popowicz. One notable individual was Mikhail Popovich (1859-1920), a Russian military officer and statesman who served as the Governor-General of Turkestan from 1909 to 1914.

In the 19th century, the Popowich surname made its way to North America through various waves of immigration from Eastern Europe. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in North America was Ivan Popowich (1825-1901), who immigrated to Canada from Ukraine in the 1870s and settled in the province of Manitoba.

Another notable figure was Vasyl Popowich (1871-1947), a Ukrainian-Canadian educator and community leader who played a significant role in the establishment of Ukrainian schools and cultural institutions in Western Canada. He was instrumental in preserving and promoting Ukrainian language and heritage among the diaspora.

Throughout history, the Popowich surname has been associated with various professions, including clergy, military leaders, statesmen, educators, and community activists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Popowich

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

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

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

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