Find out how popular the last name Porth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Porth.
A surname derived from a German place name meaning "gate" or "harbor".
Porth, 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 Porth surname is from the 2010 census data.
Porth is the 37492nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Porth surname appeared 594 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 Porth.
We can also compare 2010 data for Porth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 37492 | 31301 | 18.00% |
Count | 594 | 700 | -16.38% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.20 | 0.26 | -26.09% |
The surname Porth is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known origins dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "phort," which means "gate" or "port," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a town gate or harbor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Porth surname can be found in the German town of Braunschweig, where a certain Hans Porth was mentioned in a local registry in 1532. It is possible that this individual may have been a gatekeeper or lived near a town gate, leading to the adoption of the surname.
The Porth name also appears in various historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. One notable individual from this time was Johann Porth, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1633 to 1688 and was known for his work on natural law and moral philosophy.
During the 19th century, the Porth surname began to spread beyond Germany as families immigrated to other parts of Europe and the United States. One notable bearer of this name was Heinrich Porth, a German-American architect who lived from 1828 to 1899 and was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Porth, a German painter and illustrator who lived from 1857 to 1923 and was known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. His works can be found in various museums and galleries throughout Germany.
In the 20th century, the Porth surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, with several individuals achieving notable accomplishments. One such individual was Ernst Porth, a German-American physicist who lived from 1895 to 1979 and made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
While the Porth surname may not be as widespread as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its roots in the German language and the regions where it was first used.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Porth.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Porth was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 94.11% | 559 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.68% | 10 |
Hispanic Origin | 3.03% | 18 |
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.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Porth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 94.11% | 96.57% | -2.58% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 1.68% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 3.03% | 2.00% | 40.95% |
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 Porth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/porth-surname-popularity/">Porth last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Porth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 29, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/porth-surname-popularity/.
"Porth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/porth-surname-popularity/. Accessed 29 May, 2025
Porth last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/porth-surname-popularity/.
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