2000
#11,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Prochaska
A surname of Czech origin, derived from the word "prochazka," meaning "a walk" or "a stroll."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,571 Americans carry the last name Prochaska. That puts it at #13,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prochaska 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
2.6K
1 in 133,316
Census rank
#13,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,242 bearers of the surname Prochaska in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prochaska, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prochaska
The surname Prochaska is of Czech origin, derived from the personal name Procházka, which means "a wanderer" or "a stroller." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who frequently walked or traveled. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in the Czech lands, particularly in the region of Bohemia.
In the 15th century, a man named Jan Prochaska was mentioned in the records of the town of Pardubice, located in the eastern part of Bohemia. This is one of the earliest known references to the surname in historical documents.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Prochaska was commonly found in various parts of Bohemia, as well as in the neighboring regions of Moravia and Silesia, which were also part of the Czech lands at the time.
One notable bearer of the name was Jan Prochaska (1749-1820), a Czech Roman Catholic priest and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of physics and astronomy. He was also a professor at the University of Prague.
In the 19th century, the surname Prochaska was carried by several individuals who played important roles in the Czech National Revival movement, which aimed to revive the Czech language and culture. One such figure was Václav Prochaska (1826-1908), a Czech historian and politician who advocated for Czech autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Alois Prochaska (1826-1888), a Czech botanist and teacher who specialized in the study of mosses. He authored several important works on the subject and made significant contributions to the field of bryology.
Outside of the Czech lands, the surname Prochaska can also be found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical connections to Bohemia and Moravia, such as parts of Germany and Austria.
Overall, the surname Prochaska has a rich history dating back centuries and is deeply rooted in the Czech cultural and linguistic traditions. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scientists, historians, and political figures, who have made notable contributions to their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prochaska
Among Census respondents with the surname Prochaska, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Prochaska 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 Prochaska surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 2,120
- Two or more races2.4% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prochaska
Prochaska 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
#11,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,852
+219 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#13,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,242
-610 bearers (-21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,960 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,078 | 2,633 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,118 | 2,852 | 0.97 | +219 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #13,078 | 2,242 | 0.75 | -610 bearers (-21.4%) | Down 1,960 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 Prochaska 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 | #11,118 | #13,078 | -17.6% |
| Count | 2,852 | 2,242 | -21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.75 | -22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prochaska bearers went from 2,852 to 2,242 (-21.4% change). The surname moved down 1,960 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,118 to #13,078.
FAQ
Prochaska surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prochaska?
Name Census estimates that about 2,571 living Americans carry the surname Prochaska. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,316 residents.
How common is Prochaska?
Prochaska ranks #13,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,242 people with the surname Prochaska. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Prochaska.
Has Prochaska become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prochaska went from 2,852 recorded bearers to 2,242. That is a decrease of 610 (-21.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,118 to #13,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Prochaska?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prochaska, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Prochaska in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prochaska appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Prochaska (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 Prochaska mean?
A surname of Czech origin, derived from the word "prochazka," meaning "a walk" or "a stroll." 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 Prochaska (0.75 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 Prochaska?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.