Last name

Pope

English

The surname Pope is of English origin. It was a nickname derived from the eccesiastical title for the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Middle English 'pope' ( Old English 'papa', from Late Latin 'papa', bishop, pope, from the 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 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. 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. A sobriquet for one of an austere, ascetic, and ecclesiastical appearance. The word nickname is derived from "an eke-name" or added name, and since surnames originated as added names for help in identification, all surnames are, in a sense, nicknames. The name dates back to the twelfth century were a Hugo le Pope is recorded in historical archives. The name was brought to America predominately by English immigrants. One of the first fore father to bring this name to America is that of a William Pope, formerly of Bath, ( Somerset ) England, who came to America aboard the barque Sampson; he settled in Maryland. This name is the four-hundredth and thirty-fifth most common surname in America.

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