Popular means liked by very many people. A popular song, popular with the staff, extremely popular.
The construction is popular with a group. It also means belonging to ordinary people rather than to specialists: popular science, popular culture, popular opinion. Popular vote means the total of all votes cast, as opposed to seats won. Note popularity; populist, which is political and means appealing directly to ordinary people against elites; and that contrary to popular belief is one of the most used openings in English.
1adjectivepopularLiked by very many people.
“The scheme was popular with everybody except the people paying for it.”
synonyms: well-liked, favoured
2adjectivebelongingBelonging to ordinary people rather than specialists.
“Popular opinion moved about ten years before the law did.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
popular is a quality of being liked.
Middle English
populer
English, today
popular
From Middle English populer.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA