Pappas

The origin of the surname Pappas

Pappas means “priest.”

What kind of surname is Pappas?

As an occupational surname, the surname Pappas began as a description of the bearer's job, trade or office — one of the oldest and richest sources of family names. In the medieval world, a person was naturally identified by what they did, so the baker, the smith, the miller and the weaver each lent their trade to a name that later became hereditary. These surnames are wonderfully transparent windows onto everyday life in earlier centuries, preserving crafts and roles that in many cases no longer exist. Because certain trades were common everywhere, occupational surnames are among the most widespread family names in many countries.

How Greek surnames work

Greek surnames are strongly patronymic and often reveal the region they come from through their endings: “-poulos” (“son of”) is typical of the Peloponnese, “-akis” of Crete, “-idis/-iadis” of Pontic and northern Greek families, and “-oglou” reflects Anatolian and Turkish contact. Others derive from occupations, nicknames or places. Many appear in the genitive case, literally meaning “of” a father or family, and women's forms have traditionally taken a genitive ending too.