Show ContentsPoppe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Poppe surname comes from the Germanic personal name Poppo, Boppo, of uncertain origin and meaning.

Early Origins of the Poppe family

The surname Poppe was first found in Westphalia, where the name Poppe emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. This surname comes from a Germanic personal name Poppo or Boppo of uncertain origin. It was a common given name among the counts of Henneberg and Babenberg in E. Frisia between the 9th and 14th centuries.

Early History of the Poppe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poppe research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1277, 1280 and 1345 are included under the topic Early Poppe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poppe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Popp, Poppe, Bopp, Bopf, Popper, Poppen, Poppinga, Poppel, Boppel, Popkema and many more.

Early Notables of the Poppe family

More information is included under the topic Early Poppe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poppe Ranking

In the United States, the name Poppe is the 12,351st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Poppe migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poppe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Julius Poppe, who arrived in America in 1778 2
  • Caspar Poppe, who landed in America in 1780 2
  • Henrich Poppe, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1793 2
Poppe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Augustus Poppe, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 2
  • Ewald Poppe, who arrived in America in 1856 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Poppe (post 1700) +

  • Edward Poppe (1890-1924), Belgian priest, blessed by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1999
  • Nils Poppe (1908-2000), Swedish actor
  • Nicholas N. Poppe (1897-1991), important Russian linguist
  • Erik Poppe (b. 1960), Norwegian film director


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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