Find out how popular the last name Poroj is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Poroj.

Poroj, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Poroj surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Poroj in America

Poroj is the 86005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Poroj surname appeared 217 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Poroj.

The history of the last name Poroj

The surname POROJ has its origins in the former Yugoslavia, specifically in the region of Montenegro. Its earliest recorded spelling dates back to the late 15th century, when it was written as "Porodž" or "Porožič" in old Cyrillic scripts. The name is believed to be derived from the Slavic word "porod," meaning "family" or "lineage."

One of the earliest known mentions of the name POROJ can be found in a 1492 census record from the town of Cetinje, which lists a certain Vuk Porožič as a landowner and local chieftain. This suggests that the POROJ family had already established itself as a prominent clan in the area by the late medieval period.

In the 16th century, the name appears in several records related to the Ottoman Empire's conquest of the Balkans. A document from 1521 mentions a Miloš Porož as a leader of a local resistance force against the Turks in the region around the town of Nikšić.

By the 17th century, the POROJ name had spread to other parts of Montenegro and neighboring regions, such as Herzegovina and Dalmatia. One notable figure from this time was Jovan Poroj (1628-1693), a renowned Orthodox priest and scholar who authored several theological works and served as a tutor to the ruling family of the Principality of Zeta.

In the 18th century, the POROJ name gained further prominence with the rise of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, who ruled Montenegro from 1696 to 1918. Several members of the POROJ family served as advisors and military officers to the Petrović-Njegoš princes, including Mihailo Poroj (1745-1819), a celebrated general who played a crucial role in the Montenegrin victory over the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Kruše in 1796.

Another notable figure from this period was Sava Poroj (1768-1832), a highly respected poet and playwright whose works helped shape the development of Montenegrin literature and national identity. His play "The Mountain Wreath" (Gorski vijenac) is considered a masterpiece of Montenegrin literature and is still widely studied and performed today.

As the 19th century progressed, the POROJ name continued to be associated with various intellectual and cultural pursuits. Danilo Poroj (1819-1892) was a renowned linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages, while his contemporary, Marko Poroj (1823-1899), was a respected historian and author who wrote extensively on the history and traditions of Montenegro.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Poroj

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Poroj.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Poroj was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Poroj was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Poroj, please contact us.

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