The Greek family name Drossopoulos is classified as being of personal name origin.  When a name is derived from a personal name it is usually the name of bearer's father or mother, which is adopted and transformed into a fixed hereditary family name.  This name is then proudly transmitted from generation to generation, occasionally altered orthographically or abbreviated, providing a link between the living bearer of the surname and the original bearer of the eponymous personal name from which the surname derives its origin.  In this instance, the family name Drossopoulos originated from the old Roman personal name “Drusa”, which was itself of Celtic provenance.  This personal name was borne by several prominent men of antiquity, including the Roman general Drusus, brother of the Emperor Tuberius.   Yet, the popularity of the name in medieval Europe was more likely attributable to the veneration of two early Christian saints called Drusa.  Research does indicate that names borne by saints have consistently been the most widely chosen by Greek parents.  Variants of the surname Drossopoulos include Drosinis and Drosopoulos.

Among references to this name or to a variant is a record of one Georgios Drossopoulos, poet born in Athens in 1859.  There is also mention of Theodore Drossopoulos, who was born on 18 October 1888 and was subsequently a resident of Illinois.  However, research is of course ongoing and this name may have been documented earlier than the date indicated above.  Although the oldest Greek family names dates back to the ninth century, most are of more recent origin, having been adopted only in the eighteenth century of later.  Systematic record keeping by civil authorities is also a comparatively recent development in Greece.