2000
#7,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Prevost
French occupational surname for a provost, an official who supervised the king's estates or acted as a magistrate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,800 Americans carry the last name Prevost. That puts it at #7,620 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,407 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prevost 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prevost with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,407
Census rank
#7,620
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,186 bearers of the surname Prevost in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7620th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prevost, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prevost
The surname Prevost originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "prevost," which means "provost" or "overseer." The name initially referred to an administrative official or civil servant who held a position of authority within a particular region or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Prevost can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Île-de-France, and Picardy. One notable example is found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a certain Radulfus Prevost.
In the 13th century, the name Prevost appeared in several historical records, such as the Trésor des Chartes and the Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie, indicating its widespread use across different parts of France. During this period, the name was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or prominence within their respective communities.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Prevost was Sir John Prevost (1280-1349), a Norman knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was Jacques Prevost (1540-1596), a French poet and translator who gained recognition for his works during the Renaissance era.
In the 17th century, the name Prevost gained further prominence with individuals like François Prevost (1617-1678), a French historian and author known for his works on the history of Normandy. Additionally, Antoine François Prevost (1697-1763), a French novelist and author, is renowned for his literary masterpiece "Manon Lescaut."
The name Prevost has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Prevost-Paradol, a commune in the Ain department, and Prevost-sur-Aisne, a commune in the Ardennes department. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Prevost surname who held significant influence or ownership in those regions.
Over the centuries, the surname Prevost has undergone various spelling variations, including Prevost, Prévost, Prévot, and Prévau, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolution of the French language. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its distinct identity and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prevost
Among Census respondents with the surname Prevost, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Prevost 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 Prevost surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 3,024
- Black or African American18.2% · 763
- Two or more races4.8% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 164
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prevost
Prevost 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
#7,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,228
+102 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 393 places
2020
#7,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,186
-42 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,438 | 4,126 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,831 | 4,228 | 1.43 | +102 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 393 places |
| 2020 | #7,620 | 4,186 | 1.40 | -42 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 211 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 Prevost 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 | #7,831 | #7,620 | 2.7% |
| Count | 4,228 | 4,186 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.40 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prevost bearers went from 4,228 to 4,186 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,831 to #7,620.
FAQ
Prevost surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prevost?
Name Census estimates that about 4,800 living Americans carry the surname Prevost. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,407 residents.
How common is Prevost?
Prevost ranks #7,620 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,186 people with the surname Prevost. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Prevost.
Has Prevost become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prevost went from 4,228 recorded bearers to 4,186. That is a decrease of 42 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,831 to #7,620.
What does the Census say about the background of Prevost?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prevost, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Prevost in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (3,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prevost appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Prevost (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 Prevost mean?
French occupational surname for a provost, an official who supervised the king's estates or acted as a magistrate. 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 Prevost (1.40 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 common is the surname Prevost?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Prevost is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.