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

Prochnow, 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 Prochnow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prochnow in America

Prochnow is the 20750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prochnow surname appeared 1,274 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 Prochnow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prochnow 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.

The history of the last name Prochnow

The surname Prochnow is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the region of Pomerania, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Germany. The name is thought to be derived from the Polish word "prochno," meaning "dust" or "powder," suggesting a possible connection to occupations or locations related to dusty or powdery materials.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig) in the late 16th century. A merchant named Hans Prochnow is mentioned in local records from that time, indicating the surname's presence in the area.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and official documents across Pomerania and neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Prochnow, a Lutheran pastor born in 1624 in the town of Słupsk (formerly Stolp), and Katharina Prochnow, a landowner from the village of Szczecin (formerly Stettin), whose name is recorded in property deeds from the late 1600s.

As the name spread across central Europe, slight variations in spelling emerged, such as Prochnau, Prochnov, and Prochno. These variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Prochnow was Martin Prochnow, a German-born Lutheran minister who lived from 1548 to 1628. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a pastor in several churches across Pomerania.

Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Wilhelm Prochnow (1805-1877), a German politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of the city of Stralsund in the mid-19th century.

In the 20th century, Karl Prochnow (1892-1947) was a German naval officer who served in both World Wars and wrote several books about his experiences at sea.

Günter Prochnow (1942-1997) was a German actor best known for his roles in films such as "Das Boot" and "The English Patient." He was born in Berlin and had a successful career in both German and international cinema.

More recently, Jürgen Prochnow (born 1941) is a German businessman and engineer who founded the successful engineering firm Prochnow Wassertechnik GmbH, specializing in water treatment technologies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prochnow

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

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 Prochnow 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Prochnow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Prochnow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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