2000
#14,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,833
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Prock
A metonymic surname derived from the old German word "brok" meaning swamp or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,074 Americans carry the last name Prock. That puts it at #15,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prock 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
2.1K
1 in 165,262
Census rank
#15,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,809 bearers of the surname Prock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prock
The surname Prock originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Austria and parts of southern Germany. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 16th century, where it was likely derived from the German word "Brock," which means "badger" or "brock."
During the Middle Ages, many surnames were derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or associations with animals. The name Prock may have initially referred to someone who hunted or trapped badgers or had some connection to these animals. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname for someone with a stocky build or personal traits reminiscent of a badger.
One of the earliest known references to the name Prock can be found in the records of the town of Innsbruck, Austria, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family with the surname Prock residing in the area during that period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and local documents across regions of Austria and southern Germany. For instance, Johann Prock, a farmer from the village of Neukirchen, was born in 1634 and lived until 1698.
As the centuries passed, the Prock surname spread across Europe, with some notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Friedrich Prock, a renowned Austrian painter and engraver born in 1784 in Vienna. His works were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and can be found in several notable art collections.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Prock, a German mathematician and physicist born in 1825 in Württemberg. He made significant contributions to the field of optics and was a professor at several prestigious universities in Germany.
In the late 19th century, the name Prock was associated with a prominent family in the town of Linz, Austria. Heinrich Prock, born in 1856, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of a local hospital and orphanage.
While the surname Prock may not be as common as some other European surnames, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with roots deeply entrenched in the German-speaking regions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prock
Among Census respondents with the surname Prock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Prock 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 Prock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,580
- Two or more races6.0% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prock
Prock 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
#15,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,848
+15 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 933 places
2020
#15,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
-39 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,838 | 1,833 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,771 | 1,848 | 0.63 | +15 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 933 places |
| 2020 | #15,558 | 1,809 | 0.61 | -39 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 213 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 Prock 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 | #15,771 | #15,558 | 1.4% |
| Count | 1,848 | 1,809 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.61 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prock bearers went from 1,848 to 1,809 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,771 to #15,558.
FAQ
Prock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prock?
Name Census estimates that about 2,074 living Americans carry the surname Prock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,262 residents.
How common is Prock?
Prock ranks #15,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,809 people with the surname Prock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Prock.
Has Prock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prock went from 1,848 recorded bearers to 1,809. That is a decrease of 39 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,771 to #15,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Prock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Prock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Prock (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 Prock mean?
A metonymic surname derived from the old German word "brok" meaning swamp or marsh. 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 Prock (0.61 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 Prock?
See how common the surname Prock is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.