Papen County takes its name from the wealthy Dutch-American Papen family, whom Emerson Cod refers to as the "first family [chronologically] of Papen County". The Papens' wealth came from their commercial real estate empire which include a hotel, amusement park, the Papen County Historical Society, and several south Asian call centers. The county has a sizeable Dutch-American population, and Olive Snook notes that there are around 50 Papens still living in the county.