Popa

The origin of the surname Popa

Popa means “priest.”

What kind of surname is Popa?

As an occupational surname, the surname Popa 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 Romanian surnames work

Romanian surnames are often patronymic, most recognisably through the ending “-escu” (“son/descendant of”), as in Popescu, “son of the priest”; the ending “-eanu” typically marks where a family came from. Others derive from occupations, the Orthodox church (Popa, “priest,” is very common) or descriptive nicknames.