2000
#918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.86
Uncommon Last name
Proctor
An occupational surname referring to an official who acts as a manager, supervisor, or superintendent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,085 Americans carry the last name Proctor. That puts it at #1,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,769 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Proctor 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 Proctor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,769
Census rank
#1,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,084 bearers of the surname Proctor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Proctor, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Proctor
The surname Proctor is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "procuratour," which in turn comes from the Latin "procurator," meaning a manager or administrator. The name was initially given as an occupational surname to people who oversaw and managed the affairs of an estate, church, or other institution.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Proctor can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named Walter le Procuratour is mentioned. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, referring to a Robert Proctor.
In the 14th century, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where many Proctors held important positions in monasteries and religious houses. One notable example is John Proctor, who served as the Prior of the Augustinian Priory in Bolton, Lancashire, in the late 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Proctor began to appear more frequently in various records, such as parish registers and wills. In 1584, a Robert Proctor was listed as a landowner in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire. Additionally, in the 1640s, a John Proctor became infamous as one of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Proctor have achieved recognition in various fields. One notable figure was Richard Proctor (1837-1888), an English astronomer and writer who contributed significantly to the popularization of astronomy. Another prominent Proctor was Redfield Proctor (1831-1908), a lawyer and politician who served as the 37th Governor of Vermont and later as the United States Secretary of War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Proctor include:
1. Thomas Proctor (1753-1846), an English industrialist and pioneer of the textile industry in Yorkshire.
2. Lori Proctor (born 1978), an American professional wrestler and former TNA Knockout Champion.
3. Robert E. Proctor (1868-1903), an American naval officer and one of the first aviators in the United States Navy.
4. Patrick Proctor Alexander (1926-1997), a British novelist and playwright known for his works set in the Caribbean.
The surname Proctor continues to be prevalent in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, reflecting its long-standing history and the significant contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Proctor
Among Census respondents with the surname Proctor, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Proctor 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 Proctor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.8% · 23,103
- Black or African American20.6% · 7,020
- Two or more races5.5% · 1,891
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,035
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 790
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 245
Timeline
Historical Census data for Proctor
Proctor 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
#977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,636
+954 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 12.08
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#1,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,084
-1,552 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 11.40
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #918 | 34,682 | 12.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #977 | 35,636 | 12.08 | +954 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #1,008 | 34,084 | 11.40 | -1,552 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 31 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 Proctor 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 | #977 | #1,008 | -3.2% |
| Count | 35,636 | 34,084 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.08 | 11.40 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Proctor bearers went from 35,636 to 34,084 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #977 to #1,008.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Proctor
FAQ
Proctor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Proctor?
Name Census estimates that about 39,085 living Americans carry the surname Proctor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,769 residents.
How common is Proctor?
Proctor ranks #1,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,084 people with the surname Proctor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Proctor.
Has Proctor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Proctor went from 35,636 recorded bearers to 34,084. That is a decrease of 1,552 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #977 to #1,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Proctor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Proctor, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Proctor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (23,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Proctor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.8%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Proctor (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 Proctor mean?
An occupational surname referring to an official who acts as a manager, supervisor, or superintendent. 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 Proctor (11.40 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 many people have the last name Proctor?
If you just want to know how many people are called Proctor, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.