2000
#14,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Profitt
An occupational surname for someone who made a profit or gained an advantage, likely through trade or business.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,095 Americans carry the last name Profitt. That puts it at #15,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Profitt 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 Profitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,606
Census rank
#15,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,827 bearers of the surname Profitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Profitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Profitt
The surname Profitt is of English origin and traces its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from an occupational name referring to someone who profited or made a living through trade or business dealings. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1195, where it appears as Richard le Profyt.
The Profitt name is thought to have originated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire in the southern part of England. It is likely that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who was successful in their profession or trade, possibly a merchant or trader who made a significant profit from their endeavors.
In the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1273, there is a record of a Roger Profyt, indicating the presence of the name in that county during the 13th century. The name also appears in various tax and legal records throughout the following centuries, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, which mentions a Johannes Profite.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Profitt surname was Sir William Profitt, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the late 14th century. He is recorded as having owned estates in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, further cementing the name's connection to those regions.
Another notable figure with the Profitt surname was John Profitt, born in 1582 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is mentioned in several records from the town during that period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records across England, with variations in spelling such as Proffitt, Profett, and Proffett. One such record is the baptism of Thomas Profitt in 1623 in the parish of St. Mary's, Lambeth, London.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain Edward Profitt is recorded as having fought for the Parliamentarian forces, further demonstrating the presence of the name in significant historical events.
Over the centuries, the Profitt surname has been associated with various place names and locations across England, including Profitt's Hill in Gloucestershire and Profitt's Lane in Oxfordshire, both of which likely derived their names from early bearers of the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Profitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Profitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Profitt 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 Profitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 1,560
- Black or African American7.1% · 130
- Two or more races5.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Profitt
Profitt 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
#14,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
+183 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 77 places
2020
#15,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,827
-219 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,641 | 1,863 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,564 | 2,046 | 0.69 | +183 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 77 places |
| 2020 | #15,448 | 1,827 | 0.61 | -219 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 884 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 Profitt 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 | #14,564 | #15,448 | -6.1% |
| Count | 2,046 | 1,827 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.61 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Profitt bearers went from 2,046 to 1,827 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 884 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,564 to #15,448.
FAQ
Profitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Profitt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,095 living Americans carry the surname Profitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,606 residents.
How common is Profitt?
Profitt ranks #15,448 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 1,827 people with the surname Profitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,095), 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 Profitt.
Has Profitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Profitt went from 2,046 recorded bearers to 1,827. That is a decrease of 219 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,564 to #15,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Profitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Profitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Profitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (1,560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Profitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Profitt (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 Profitt mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made a profit or gained an advantage, likely through trade or business. 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 Profitt (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 many people have the surname Profitt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.