Bishop is an English occupational surname that goes back to the Greek episkopos and means "overseer"; in the Middle Ages it was often given to someone who worked in a bishop's household or played the bishop in a pageant. As a first name it joins a wave of title names like Deacon and Saint. Bishop entered the US top 1000 in 2015, hovered close to that line until 2022 with a peak of number 979 in 2020, and ranks 1188 in 2025.