Boy · #12,301 in 2026

Pope

Name: Popularity of the name Pope in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Pope, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Pope is a surname of several proposed and likely convergent origins. It has been linked to the English surname Pape, likely having roots as a nickname for someone who plays a clergyman in pageantry or someone with a matching pompous disposition. It also has origins deriving from French and German surnames related to clergymen, and may also be a variant of the surname Poppe.

Current Rank

#12,301

Peak Rank

#2,398 (1918)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1914

First Year

2024

Last Year

1918

Peak Year

#2398

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Pope

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Pope

Pope first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1914, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 12 Popes were born — ranking #2,398 that year. As of 2026, Pope ranks #12,301 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 78 Popes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Pope

Phonetically similar names — useful when Pope is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Poep
Pop
Poop
Pipe
Pup
Peep
Pep
Pip
Pap
Pape
Popp
Pupp

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pope

What does the name Pope mean?

How popular is Pope in 2026?

In 2026, Pope ranks #12,301 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Pope most popular?

Pope reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #2,398 that year with 12 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Pope most popular?

Pope has historically been most popular in Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Pope.

Is Pope a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Pope is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Pope?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Pope include Blanche, Maggie, Merville. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Pope

Pope is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 78 births in the dataset. Pope's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #2,398. Use the chart and map above to compare Pope's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.