'unpopular' originates from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the word 'popular', which comes from Latin 'populus' meaning 'people'.

'popular' changed from the Latin word 'populus' and eventually became the modern English word 'popular'. The prefix 'un-' was added to form 'unpopular'.

Initially, 'popular' meant 'of the people', but over time it evolved to mean 'liked by many people'. 'Unpopular' thus means 'not liked by many people'.