An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Statistics: Any finite or infinite set of individuals, items, or data
subject to a statistical study. → disk population; → halo population; → population inversion; → Bose-Einstein distribution.

Etymology (EN): Verbal noun of populate, from M.L. populatus, p.p. of populare “to inhabit,” from L. populus “people.”

Etymology (PE): In the IE languages the concepts of “full, many, multitude” and “people, group, herd, flock” are related. In Pers. several variants of por “full, much, many” denote “group, population,” as in Lori, Qâyeni bor “group, tribe, herd,” Torbat-Heydariyeyi, Qomi borr “heap, bundle, group,” Qomi borreh “group, assemblage of people,” Pashtu parrak “flock, herd,” Urdu para “flock, herd,” Lârestâni baila “group, tribe,” Tabari balik “herd, flock;” other examples from
literary Pers. bâré “herd, flock,” parré “a rank or file of soldiers, a circular disposition of troops.” Therefore, porineš “population,” verbal noun of porinidan “to populate,” infinitive of porin “populous,” from por “mutitude, many, full”

• -in attribution suffix. Por, from Mid.Pers. purr “full;” O.Pers. paru- “much, many;” Av. par- “to fill,”
  parav-, pauru-, pouru- “full, much, many;”
  PIE base *pelu- “full,” from *pel- “to be full;” cf. Skt. puru- “much, abundant;”
  Gk. polus “many,” plethos “great number, multitude;” O.E. full.