2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Portnov
A surname derived from the Russian occupation of a tailor or cloth-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Portnov. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portnov surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Portnov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portnov, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portnov
The surname Portnov has its origins in Russia and is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Portno, which itself can be traced back to the Russian word "portnoy," meaning "tailor." This suggests that the name was likely adopted by individuals who were involved in the tailoring trade or had ancestors who worked as tailors.
During the medieval period, surnames based on occupations were common, particularly in urban areas where trades and crafts were more prevalent. The earliest recorded instances of the name Portnov can be found in Russian census records and church registers dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Portnov was Ivan Portnov, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Novgorod in the late 16th century. Historical records indicate that he was involved in the trade of textiles and owned a modest estate on the outskirts of the city.
In the 18th century, the name Portnov was associated with the noble Portnov family, who held significant land holdings in the Smolensk region of western Russia. The most notable member of this family was Mikhail Portnov (1720-1792), a military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the reign of Catherine the Great.
During the 19th century, the name Portnov gained prominence in the cultural and artistic circles of Russia. Nikolai Portnov (1801-1878) was a celebrated painter known for his landscapes and portraits, while his contemporary, Andrei Portnov (1818-1895), was a respected playwright and author whose works explored themes of social inequality and injustice.
Another notable figure was Dmitry Portnov (1857-1914), a prominent architect who designed several iconic buildings in Moscow, including the Bolshoi Theatre and the Polytechnic Museum. His contributions to the city's architectural landscape earned him widespread recognition and acclaim.
As the name Portnov spread across Russia, it also found its way into other parts of the former Russian Empire, including Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. While the name may have evolved and taken on different spellings or variations in these regions, its connection to the Russian word "portnoy" and the tailoring trade remains a common thread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portnov
Among Census respondents with the surname Portnov, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Portnov bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Portnov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portnov
Portnov appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+10 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 53 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-11 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 53 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 12,064 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Portnov surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #132,206 | #144,270 | -9.1% |
| Count | 128 | 117 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portnov bearers went from 128 to 117 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 12,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #144,270.
FAQ
Portnov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portnov?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Portnov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Portnov?
Portnov ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Portnov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Portnov.
Has Portnov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portnov went from 128 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Portnov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portnov, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Portnov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portnov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Portnov (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Portnov mean?
A surname derived from the Russian occupation of a tailor or cloth-maker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Portnov (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Portnov?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.