Explore the Family Name Pope
The meaning of Pope
1. English: nickname from Middle English pope (derived via Old English from Late Latin papa ‘bishop, pope’, from Greek pappas ‘father’, in origin a nursery word.) In the early Christian Church, the Latin term was at first used as a title of respect for male clergy of every rank, but in the Western Church it gradually came to be restricted to bishops, and then only to the bishop of Rome; in the Eastern Church it continued to be used of all priests (see Popov, Papas). The nickname would have been used for a vain or pompous man, or for someone who had played the part of the pope in a pageant or play. The surname is also present in Ireland and Scotland. 2. North German: variant of Poppe. 3. German: translation of Pabst. History: Nathaniel Pope, a “marriner” from London and Bristol, England, patented a property on Northern Neck, VA, in 1651 that later became known as “The Clifts”.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pope in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pope has seen a shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Initially holding the rank of 486 in 2000, it moved to 528 in 2010, indicating a drop in popularity by 8.64%. Despite this, the actual count of individuals with the Pope surname increased from 61,750 in 2000 to 63,881 in 2010, marking an increase of 3.45%. Meanwhile, the proportion of the Pope surname per 100k people decreased by 5.37%, shifting from 22.89 in 2000 to 21.66 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #486 | #528 | -8.64% |
| Count | 61,750 | 63,881 | 3.45% |
| Proportion per 100k | 22.89 | 21.66 | -5.37% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pope
The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the Pope surname. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a notable increase in Asian/Pacific Islanders, Two or more races, and Hispanics, with increases of 30.56%, 32.30% and 51.03% respectively. The proportion of White persons with the Pope surname saw a minor decrease of 2.79%, dropping from 72.86% in 2000 to 70.83% in 2010. The Black community saw a slight rise of 2.81%, moving from 23.12% in 2000 to 23.77% in 2010. Lastly, American Indians and Alaskan Natives with the Pope surname also saw a small increase of 3.39%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 72.86% | 70.83% | -2.79% |
| Black | 23.12% | 23.77% | 2.81% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2.19% | 51.03% |
| Two or More Races | 1.61% | 2.13% | 32.3% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.59% | 0.61% | 3.39% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.36% | 0.47% | 30.56% |
Pope ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Pope is British & Irish, which comprises 55.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.6%) and Eastern European (3.5%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.2% |
| French & German | 20.6% |
| Eastern European | 3.5% |
| Other | 20.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Pope
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Pope have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
What Pope haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Pope is I-Z2535, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z2535 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-M253 and I-CTS10937, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Hill, White, Meyer, Cook, Harvey, Stone, Ludwig, Wilson, Johnson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Pope surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Pope have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Pope" Surname 42.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Pope" Surname 33.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Pope" Surname 27.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Pope" Surname 18.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Pope?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Pope are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition