2000
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Procopio
Derived from the Latin name "Procopius," meaning "the one who makes progress" or "successful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,318 Americans carry the last name Procopio. That puts it at #14,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Procopio 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
2.3K
1 in 147,866
Census rank
#14,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,021 bearers of the surname Procopio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Procopio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Procopio
The surname Procopio is of Greek origin and can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century AD. It derives from the Greek name "Prokopios," which means "early born" or "premature." The name was initially used as a personal name in ancient Greece.
During the Byzantine era, the name Procopio emerged as a prominent surname among Greek families residing in the regions of Thrace, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. It is believed that some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Byzantine manuscripts and chronicles from that period.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Procopio was Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500 - c. 565), a prominent Byzantine scholar and historian. He is best known for his work "History of the Wars," which chronicled the military campaigns of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
In the 11th century, the surname Procopio gained further recognition with the rise of the Procopius family, a noble Byzantine clan that held significant influence in the imperial court. Nicetas Procopius (fl. 1070), a member of this family, served as a military commander under Emperor Michael VII Ducas.
As the Byzantine Empire declined and fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, many Greek families bearing the surname Procopio migrated to other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean region, including Italy, where the name became more prevalent.
One notable Italian figure with the surname Procopio was Gregorio Procopio (c. 1630 - 1709), a Sicilian painter and architect who made significant contributions to the Baroque style in Italy. His works can be found in various churches and palaces throughout Sicily and Naples.
Another individual of note was Carlo Procopio (1671 - 1736), an Italian entrepreneur who founded the famous Café Procope in Paris, one of the oldest surviving cafés in Europe. The café became a popular gathering place for intellectuals and writers during the Age of Enlightenment.
In more recent centuries, the surname Procopio has been found among Greek diaspora communities worldwide, particularly in countries with significant Greek populations, such as the United States, Australia, and Canada.
One notable American with the surname Procopio was Michael Procopio (1920 - 2006), a professional baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s and 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Procopio
Among Census respondents with the surname Procopio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Procopio 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 Procopio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 1,676
- Hispanic or Latino14.2% · 286
- Two or more races1.9% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Procopio
Procopio 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
#14,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,088
+112 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 326 places
2020
#14,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,021
-67 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,006 | 1,976 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,332 | 2,088 | 0.71 | +112 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 326 places |
| 2020 | #14,261 | 2,021 | 0.68 | -67 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 71 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 Procopio 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 | #14,332 | #14,261 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,088 | 2,021 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.68 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Procopio bearers went from 2,088 to 2,021 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,332 to #14,261.
FAQ
Procopio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Procopio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,318 living Americans carry the surname Procopio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,866 residents.
How common is Procopio?
Procopio ranks #14,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,021 people with the surname Procopio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Procopio.
Has Procopio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Procopio went from 2,088 recorded bearers to 2,021. That is a decrease of 67 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,332 to #14,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Procopio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Procopio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Procopio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (1,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Procopio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Hispanic (14.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Procopio (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 Procopio mean?
Derived from the Latin name "Procopius," meaning "the one who makes progress" or "successful." 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 Procopio (0.68 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 are called Procopio?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Procopio on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.