2000
#7,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Papp
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a priest or clergyman, derived from the Hungarian word "pap" meaning priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,431 Americans carry the last name Papp. That puts it at #8,209 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,354 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papp 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 Papp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,354
Census rank
#8,209
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,864 bearers of the surname Papp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8209th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Papp
The surname Papp is of Hungarian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Hungarian word "pap," which translates to "priest" or "cleric." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals associated with the clergy or religious orders.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, records show the name spelled as "Pap" or "Papp" in various regions of the Kingdom of Hungary, which encompassed parts of modern-day Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia. The earliest known mention of the name can be found in the Regestrum Varadiense, a 13th-century manuscript documenting legal proceedings in the Diocese of Várad (now Oradea, Romania).
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Papp was János Papp, a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the defense of Transylvania against Ottoman incursions during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various Hungarian settlements, including the villages of Tápiógyörgye and Pázmándfalu, which may have been named after individuals bearing the Papp surname.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable figures carried the Papp surname. Among them were Péter Papp (1617-1701), a Hungarian Protestant minister and author, and János Papp (1693-1768), a renowned Hungarian mathematician and astronomer who served as a professor at the University of Trnava (now in Slovakia).
In the 19th century, the Papp surname gained further prominence with individuals like Gábor Papp (1827-1895), a Hungarian politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the government of Kálmán Tisza.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sándor Papp (1870-1939), a Hungarian painter and graphic artist renowned for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in many prestigious galleries and museums across Hungary and beyond.
Throughout history, the Papp surname has been carried by numerous individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, soldiers, and religious figures, reflecting its deep-rooted Hungarian heritage and the diverse contributions of its bearers to the country's cultural and historical tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papp
Among Census respondents with the surname Papp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Papp 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 Papp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,552
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 155
- Two or more races2.2% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papp
Papp 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
#7,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,162
+58 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 468 places
2020
#8,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,864
-298 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,485 | 4,104 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,953 | 4,162 | 1.41 | +58 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 468 places |
| 2020 | #8,209 | 3,864 | 1.29 | -298 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 256 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 Papp 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 | #7,953 | #8,209 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,162 | 3,864 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.29 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papp bearers went from 4,162 to 3,864 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,953 to #8,209.
FAQ
Papp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papp?
Name Census estimates that about 4,431 living Americans carry the surname Papp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,354 residents.
How common is Papp?
Papp ranks #8,209 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,864 people with the surname Papp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Papp.
Has Papp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papp went from 4,162 recorded bearers to 3,864. That is a decrease of 298 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,953 to #8,209.
What does the Census say about the background of Papp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Papp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Papp (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 Papp mean?
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a priest or clergyman, derived from the Hungarian word "pap" meaning priest. 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 Papp (1.29 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 common is the surname Papp?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Papp at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.