NameCensus.

UK surname

Pape

Derived from the Middle English word "pope," referring to a clergyman or someone who worked in the pope's service.

In the 1881 census there were 899 people recorded with the Pape surname, ranking it #4,242 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,202, ranked #4,950, down from #4,242 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes and Holme Cultram. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, Wakefield and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pape is 1,310 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.7%.

1881 census count

899

Ranked #4,242

Modern count

1,202

2016, ranked #4,950

Peak year

1998

1,310 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pape had 899 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,242 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,202 in 2016, ranked #4,950.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,252 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pape surname distribution map

The map shows where the Pape surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Pape surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pape over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 808 #3,319
1861 historical 973 #2,856
1881 historical 899 #4,242
1891 historical 1,252 #3,449
1901 historical 1,178 #4,155
1911 historical 1,135 #4,105
1997 modern 1,283 #4,442
1998 modern 1,310 #4,538
1999 modern 1,277 #4,673
2000 modern 1,249 #4,743
2001 modern 1,239 #4,672
2002 modern 1,248 #4,736
2003 modern 1,222 #4,730
2004 modern 1,222 #4,739
2005 modern 1,183 #4,822
2006 modern 1,193 #4,798
2007 modern 1,223 #4,741
2008 modern 1,232 #4,743
2009 modern 1,237 #4,820
2010 modern 1,282 #4,756
2011 modern 1,239 #4,856
2012 modern 1,199 #4,919
2013 modern 1,212 #4,943
2014 modern 1,217 #4,953
2015 modern 1,200 #4,973
2016 modern 1,202 #4,950

Geography

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Where Papes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes, Holme Cultram and Sculcoates. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, Wakefield, Northumberland and Ryedale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Holme Cultram Cumberland
4 Sculcoates Yorkshire, East Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
2 Wakefield 026 Wakefield
3 Northumberland 037 Northumberland
4 Ryedale 002 Ryedale
5 Allerdale 002 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pape

These lists show first names that appear often with the Pape surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pape

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pape, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Pape surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Pape household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Pape is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pape is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pape falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pape is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Pape, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pape

The surname Pape has its origins in medieval Germany, specifically in the northern regions. It is derived from the Middle Low German word "pape," which means "priest" or "cleric." This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname given to individuals who served as priests or clerics in the Catholic Church.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pape surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen. The name is also found in other medieval records from various regions of northern Germany, such as the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch from the 14th century.

The Pape surname has connections to several place names, particularly in areas where the name was prevalent. For instance, the village of Papenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from individuals with the Pape surname who lived there or were associated with the area.

Notable historical figures with the Pape surname include Johann Pape (1506-1570), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. Another notable bearer of the name was Christoph Friedrich Pape (1788-1862), a German classical scholar and lexicographer known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.

In the 16th century, the Pape surname also appeared in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. This suggests that individuals with the Pape surname were involved in trade and commerce during that period.

Other notable figures with the Pape surname include Johann Ernst Pape (1776-1853), a German philologist and educator who wrote extensively on ancient Greek literature, and Wilhelm Pape (1807-1854), a German classical scholar and author of the influential "Handwörterbuch der griechischen Sprache" (Handbook of the Greek Language).

Throughout its history, the Pape surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Papen, Pappen, and Pape, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolution of the German language over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pape families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pape surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 376 Papes recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.33x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 376 4.33x
Cumberland 114 15.10x
Middlesex 102 1.16x
Lancashire 66 0.63x
Lincolnshire 57 4.07x
Northumberland 37 2.84x
Durham 31 1.19x
Surrey 24 0.56x
Essex 13 0.75x
Norfolk 11 0.82x
Cornwall 10 1.01x
Dorset 9 1.56x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.51x
Rutland 6 9.32x
Devon 5 0.27x
Staffordshire 5 0.17x
Gloucestershire 4 0.23x
Warwickshire 3 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.25x
Cheshire 2 0.10x
Hertfordshire 2 0.33x
Lanarkshire 2 0.07x
Leicestershire 2 0.21x
Sussex 2 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.19x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.18x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.42x
Glamorgan 1 0.07x
Hampshire 1 0.06x
Kent 1 0.03x
Somerset 1 0.07x
Wiltshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Holy Trinity in Yorkshire leads with 37 Papes recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.70x.

Place Total Index
Holy Trinity 37 17.70x
Hunslet 29 21.40x
Sculcoates 23 16.69x
Leeds 21 4.28x
Preston 21 7.54x
Beverley St Martin 20 137.84x
Keswick 18 186.53x
Hackney London 17 3.46x
West Derby 17 5.58x
Holbeck 15 26.06x
Potter Newton 14 91.32x
Newcastle On Tyne St 13 19.22x
Orby 12 975.61x
Manningham 11 10.27x
St Pancras London 11 1.56x
Gateshead 10 5.12x
Hornsey 10 9.02x
Wigton 10 88.34x
Gomersal 9 22.19x
Hutton Cranswick 9 245.90x
Tottenham 9 6.44x
Burley In Wharfdale 8 104.30x
Islington London 8 0.94x
Leconfield Arram 8 833.33x
Osbournby 8 536.91x
Toynton St Peter 8 800.00x
Darlington 7 6.95x
Distington 7 180.41x
East Looe 7 173.70x
Flimby 7 109.72x
Holme St Cuthbert 7 312.50x
Middlesbrough 7 6.19x
St George Hanover 7 6.12x
Walthamstow 7 11.23x
Bedale 6 189.87x
Beverley St Nicholas 6 84.15x
Brightside Bierlow 6 3.52x
Caldewgate 6 14.50x
Cleckheaton 6 18.74x
Croydon 6 2.53x
Drighlington 6 47.39x
Folkton Flixton 6 594.06x
Helmsley 6 128.76x
Lambeth 6 0.78x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 6 56.66x
Low Holme 6 140.85x
Oakham Deanshold 6 209.06x
Sherborne 6 35.40x
St George In East 6 10.06x
Thimbleby 6 1935.48x
Thorpe St Peter 6 350.88x
Walsoken 6 73.98x
Workington 6 13.88x
Bothel Threapland 5 423.73x
Bridekirk 5 82.92x
Cottingham 5 26.70x
Crosscanonby 5 20.02x
Elswick 5 4.80x
Headingley Cum Burley 5 8.94x
Holme Abbey 5 177.31x
Langrigg Mealrigg 5 602.41x
Morpeth 5 32.59x
West Ham 5 1.31x
Westoe 5 3.38x
Whitechapel London 5 5.78x
Wombwell 5 19.73x
Bolton In Bradford 4 71.81x
Byker 4 6.20x
Great Grimsby 4 4.49x
Hartlepool 4 10.79x
Holme East Waver 4 294.12x
Little Bolton 4 2.99x
Louth 4 12.45x
Mile End Old Town 4 2.89x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 4 23.31x
Rothwell 4 22.79x
Skelton In Guisbrough 4 17.01x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 1.27x
Wath On Dearne 4 23.07x
York St Maurice 4 24.45x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Pape surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Pape surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 66
John 48
Thomas 40
George 29
Robert 21
Joseph 20
Henry 14
James 13
Edward 12
Alfred 11
Richard 9
Albert 7
Charles 7
Walter 6
Benjamin 5
Jonathan 5
Tom 5
Arthur 4
Herbert 4
David 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Samuel 3
Wm. 3
Anthony 2
Clement 2
Daniel 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Gabriel 2
Jas. 2
Matthew 2
Nicholson 2
Percy 2
Aquila 1
Clarance 1
Cyrus 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Flitcher 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Jno.Wm. 1
Johann 1
Johnathan 1
Johnston 1
Woodward 1

FAQ

Pape surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pape surname in 1881?

In 1881, 899 people were recorded with the Pape surname. That placed it at #4,242 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pape surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,202 in 2016. That gives Pape a modern rank of #4,950.

What does the Pape surname mean?

Derived from the Middle English word "pope," referring to a clergyman or someone who worked in the pope's service.

What does the Pape map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Pape bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.