Pontiff

See also: pontiff

English

Etymology

From pontiff, a nickname for someone who had played the role of the pope in a medieval religious play, or for a vain and pompous person.

Proper noun

Pontiff (plural Pontiffs)

1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Pontiff is the 39352^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 559 individuals. Pontiff is most common among White (94.63%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Pontiff”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.