2000
#3,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.42
Uncommon Last name
Proffitt
An occupational surname referring to a skilled worker or teacher, derived from the Middle English word "profete."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,189 Americans carry the last name Proffitt. That puts it at #3,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,640 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Proffitt 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 Proffitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,640
Census rank
#3,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,885 bearers of the surname Proffitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Proffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Proffitt
The surname Proffitt has its origins in medieval England, derived from the Old French word "profit," which means "benefit" or "advantage." This surname likely emerged during the early 13th century and was initially used as an occupational name for someone who worked as a clerk or scribe, handling financial records or legal documents.
In its earliest form, the name was often spelled as "Profit" or "Proffit." One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a man named William Profit. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where it is spelled as "Profyt."
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname spread across various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Somerset. In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334, a Richard Profyt is listed in Yorkshire, while the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1395 mention a Thomas Profyt.
As the name evolved over time, various spellings emerged, including Proffitt, Proffit, and Proffet. One notable bearer of this surname was Sir John Proffitt (c. 1520-1585), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname Proffitt began to appear in records in the American colonies. One of the earliest documented instances is William Proffitt, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Another early settler was John Proffitt, who was granted land in Henrico County, Virginia, in 1679.
Other notable individuals with the surname Proffitt include:
1. Amariah Proffitt (1789-1869), an American politician and businessman from Tennessee.
2. William Proffitt (1802-1878), a pioneer and early settler in the Great Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee.
3. John Proffitt (1821-1905), a Union Army veteran who fought in the American Civil War.
4. William Theophilus Proffitt (1849-1933), an American Baptist minister and educator from Virginia.
5. Maude Proffitt (1892-1959), an American country music singer and songwriter from Tennessee.
While the surname Proffitt has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by descendants of early English settlers and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Proffitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Proffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Proffitt 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 Proffitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 8,037
- Two or more races4.3% · 385
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 195
- Black or African American1.9% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Proffitt
Proffitt 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
#3,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,202
-21 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#3,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,885
-317 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,535 | 9,223 | 3.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,847 | 9,202 | 3.12 | -21 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #3,883 | 8,885 | 2.97 | -317 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 36 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 Proffitt 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 | #3,847 | #3,883 | -0.9% |
| Count | 9,202 | 8,885 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.97 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Proffitt bearers went from 9,202 to 8,885 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,847 to #3,883.
FAQ
Proffitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Proffitt?
Name Census estimates that about 10,189 living Americans carry the surname Proffitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,640 residents.
How common is Proffitt?
Proffitt ranks #3,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,885 people with the surname Proffitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Proffitt.
Has Proffitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Proffitt went from 9,202 recorded bearers to 8,885. That is a decrease of 317 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,847 to #3,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Proffitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Proffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) 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 Proffitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (8,037 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Proffitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), 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 Proffitt (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 Proffitt mean?
An occupational surname referring to a skilled worker or teacher, derived from the Middle English word "profete." 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 Proffitt (2.97 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 surname Proffitt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.