2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Prokash
A surname derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "to shine" or "to radiate light."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Prokash. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prokash 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Prokash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prokash, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prokash
The surname Prokash has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in the regions of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to a document from the year 1387, which mentions a certain Prokash Ivanovich, a landowner in the region of Galicia (now part of western Ukraine). This suggests that the name was already well-established among the local nobility at that time.
The name Prokash is thought to be derived from the Slavic root "pro-", which means "through" or "across," and the word "kash," meaning "porridge" or "gruel." It is possible that the name originally referred to someone who was involved in the production, trade, or consumption of this staple food item.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Prokash Petrovich, a merchant from the city of Lviv (then known as Lemberg), who was involved in the trade of grains and other agricultural products. This further reinforces the potential connection between the name and the food industry.
As the name spread across Eastern Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Prokasz, Prokash, and Prokosch. These variations can be found in historical records from different regions, reflecting local dialects and language influences.
One notable figure bearing the name Prokash was Ivan Prokash, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who fought against Polish rule in the mid-17th century. He played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, which sought to establish an autonomous Cossack state.
Another individual of note was Stepan Prokash, a Ukrainian writer and poet who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Ukrainian literary language and his works that celebrated Ukrainian folk culture.
In the 19th century, the name Prokash can be found in records from various parts of the Russian Empire, including present-day Belarus and the Baltic states. One example is Mikhail Prokash, a Belarusian artist and painter who was born in 1835 and gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits.
The name Prokash has also been documented in historical records from other Slavic countries, such as Croatia and Serbia, although its prevalence in these regions appears to be less significant compared to its Eastern European roots.
Throughout its history, the surname Prokash has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, merchants, writers, artists, and military leaders. While its exact origins remain somewhat uncertain, the name's connection to the food industry and its Eastern European roots are well-documented in historical sources.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prokash
Among Census respondents with the surname Prokash, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Prokash 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 Prokash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 116
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prokash
Prokash 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,325 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,325 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Prokash 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prokash bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Prokash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prokash?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Prokash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Prokash?
Prokash ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Prokash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Prokash.
Has Prokash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prokash went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Prokash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prokash, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Prokash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prokash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Prokash (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 Prokash mean?
A surname derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "to shine" or "to radiate light." 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 Prokash (0.04 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 Prokash?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.