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Show ContentsPope History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The Pope surname comes from the Middle English word "pope," derived from the Latin "papa," which meant "bishop," or "pope." As a surname, it may have denote someone "who played the part of the Pope in pageants and plays." 1 2

"Some of the earlier forms, particularly those with an English Christian name may be from Old English paepa 'pope' which became Middle English pope and survives as Pope. Those with the article and French Christian names are from Old French pape 'pope'. A nickname for one of an austere, ascetic appearance, or a pageant-name." 3

Early Origins of the Pope family

The surname Pope was first found in Cambridgeshire, where Agnes and Hugo le Pope were recorded around the year 1230.

Further to the south in England, the spellings Pap, Papp, Pappe and Paps were popular. Here we found Nicholas Pappe in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 and later Walter Pap in 1301 and Roger Pappe in Cambridgeshire in 1357. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include entries for Alan le Pope, Oxfordshire; and Hugh le Pope, Suffolk. 4 In Somerset, Robert le Pope was recorded there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

"Between 1372 and 1407, eight of the bailiffs of Gloucester bore the name of Pope (F.). The name is still in that city." 6

Early History of the Pope family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pope research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1327, 1377, 1393, 1397, 1400, 1507, 1535, 1543, 1545, 1547, 1558, 1559, 1573, 1585, 1595, 1596, 1598, 1603, 1611, 1622, 1624, 1627, 1628, 1631, 1640, 1660, 1688, 1714, 1744 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Pope History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pope Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pope, Paip, Pape, Paipe, Popp, Pap, Papp and many more.

Early Notables of the Pope family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Thomas Pope (died 1400), from Gloucester, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Gloucester in 1393 and 1397; Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559), English founder of Trinity College, Oxford, elde...
  • Sir William Pope (1573-1631) of Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury, was made knight of the Bath in 1603, and a Baronet in 1611. His son Sir William Pope (1596-1624) had three sons. The eldest was Sir Thomas...
  • Alexander Pope (1688-1744), was an English poet, son of Alexander Pope, born in Lombard Street, London. Another Alexander Pope or Paip (died 1782) was a Scottish minister of the church of Scotland and...
  • William Pope (1595-1640), who was created the 1st Earl of Downe in the Peerage of Ireland in 1628; Gabriel Pope (d. 1628) of Kent, was a medical physician (MD) in London; as well as Alexander Pope (16...

Pope World Ranking

In the United States, the name Pope is the 405th most popular surname with an estimated 69,636 people with that name. 7 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Pope is ranked the 305th most popular surname with an estimated 149 people with that name. 8 And in Australia, the name Pope is the 573rd popular surname with an estimated 6,732 people with that name. 9 New Zealand ranks Pope as 364th with 1,747 people. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Pope as 489th with 13,242 people. 11

United States Pope migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pope Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Pope, (b. 1613), aged 8, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 12
  • Elizabeth Pope, who landed in Virginia in 1623 13
  • Thomas Pope, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630 13
  • John Pope, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1633 aboard the ship "Recovery" 13
  • Mr. Joseph Pope, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Mary & John" 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pope Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Sarah Pope, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 13
  • William Pope, who landed in Georgia in 1739 13
Pope Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Pope, who landed in New York, NY in 1832 13
  • Alexander Pope, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 13
  • Abraham Pope, aged 54, who arrived in Missouri in 1849 13
  • Henry Pope, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 13
  • Frederich Pope, who landed in Indiana in 1852 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pope Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Martin Pope, (b. 1858), aged 44, American miner returning from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Saxonia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 18th October 1902 en route to Montana, USA 15
  • Mr. William Pope, (b. 1879), aged 23, Cornish labourer from Breage, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Celtic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 4th May 1902 en route to Eveleth, Minnesota, USA 15
  • Miss Phillie Pope, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish dressmaker from Marazion, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Celtic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 24th Janaury 1903 en route to Big Timber, Montana, USA 15
  • Mrs Mary Pope, (b. 1883), aged 22, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 4th June 1905 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 15
  • Mr. William Pope, (b. 1877), aged 28, Cornish miner from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on 30th January 1905 en route to Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, USA 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Pope migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pope Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Pope, British convict who was convicted in Westminster, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • Mr. James Pope, British Convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • William Pope, English convict from Somerset, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 18
  • Thomas Pope, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 19
  • Miss Ann Pope who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 20
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Pope migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pope Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Samuel George Pope, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Elizabeth Pope, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Mr. Samuel George Pope, (b. 1810), aged 30, British carpenter travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 21
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Pope, (b. 1806), aged 34, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 21
  • Mr. Henry Pope, (b. 1813), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 22
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Pope migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 23
Pope Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Antony Pope, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 24

Contemporary Notables of the name Pope (post 1700) +

  • William Pope (1955-2023), birth name of Pope.L, an American visual artist best known for his work in performance art, and interventionist public art
  • Martin Pope (1918-2022), born Isidore Poppick, an American physical chemist and professor at New York University, awarded the Davy Medal from the Royal Society in 2006
  • Carmelita Pope (1924-2019), American actress of stage and screen, known for her role in A Streetcar Named Desire and close friendship with Marlon Brando
  • Leslie Pope (1954-2020), American Academy Award nominated set decorator, best known for her work on the 2003 film Seabiscuit
  • Andrew Jackson "Jack" Pope Jr. (1913-2017), American judge, attorney, author and legal scholar, 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas (1982-1985)
  • David Pope (1962-2016), American NBA basketball player
  • John Edwin Pope (1928-2017), American journalist and sportswriter at the Miami Herald
  • Brigadier-General Francis Horton Pope (1879-1971), American Attached to the Office of the Quartermaster-General (1941-1943) 25
  • Lawrence Edgar Pope (1940-2013), American educator and politician, member of the Iowa House of Representatives (1979-1983)
  • Colonel Percival Clarence Pope (1841-1922), United States Marine awarded the Marine Corps Brevet Medal for bravery
  • ... (Another 86 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Geoffrey C Pope (b. 1900), English Supply Chief Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Hoyland, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 26
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Henry James Pope, British Petty Officer Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 27
  • Mr. Pope, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 27
HMS Royal Oak
  • Reginald A. Pope, British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 28
  • George Arthur Pope (1910-1939), British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 28
RMS Lusitania
  • Miss Effie Brooks Pope, American 1st Class Passenger from Farmington, Connecticut, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 29

Suggested Readings for the name Pope +

  • The Barrens: a Family History of South Central Kentucky by Emery H. White.
  • Pabst, Bobst, Pobst, Pope Family in the South by Jennings Bland Pope.
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  9. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  10. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  11. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  12. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  13. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  14. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  18. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
  19. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
  20. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  21. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  22. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  24. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  25. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Francis Pope. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Pope/Francis_Horton/USA.html
  26. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  27. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  28. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  29. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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