2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Proost
Dutch surname referring to a cleric or priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Proost. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Proost 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Proost in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Proost, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Proost
The surname Proost originates from the Netherlands and Belgium, emerging in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "proost," which means "cheers" or "to your health," and was commonly used as a drinking salutation.
The earliest known record of the Proost surname dates back to the early 17th century in Rotterdam, where it appeared in various municipal records and church registers. In 1612, a man named Gerrit Proost was recorded as a merchant in the city's trade archives.
During the Dutch Golden Age, the name Proost gained prominence among wealthy merchant families and brewers in cities like Amsterdam and Delft. In 1642, the famous Dutch painter Johannes Proost was born in Amsterdam, renowned for his still-life paintings and portraits of affluent burghers.
As the Dutch established colonies in the Americas and Asia, the Proost surname traveled with them. In 1652, a man named Pieter Proost was among the first settlers of the Dutch Cape Colony in present-day South Africa. Later, in 1664, a Jacob Proost was recorded as a landowner in the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became New York.
The Proost surname also has a long-standing presence in Belgium, particularly in the Flemish regions. In the 18th century, a wealthy textile merchant named Jan Proost was documented in the city of Ghent, where he owned several mills and trading companies.
Other notable individuals with the Proost surname include:
1. Aernout Proost (1616-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
2. Hendrik Proost (1736-1808), a Flemish painter and engraver who worked in Paris and was a member of the French Academy.
3. Johannes Proost (1805-1876), a Dutch-born American civil engineer who designed the first cast-iron bridge in the United States.
4. Jacobus Proost (1828-1892), a Belgian chemist and professor known for his contributions to the study of acids and bases.
5. Gerrit Proost (1892-1972), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Rotterdam after World War II.
While the Proost surname has its roots in the Netherlands and Belgium, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and immigration, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Proost
Among Census respondents with the surname Proost, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Proost 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 Proost surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 94
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Proost
Proost appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 6,923 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 Proost 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 | #148,347 | #155,270 | -4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 101 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Proost bearers went from 111 to 101 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 6,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,270.
FAQ
Proost surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Proost?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Proost. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Proost?
Proost ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Proost. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Proost.
Has Proost become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Proost went from 111 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Proost?
Among Census respondents with the surname Proost, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Proost in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Proost appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Proost (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 Proost mean?
Dutch surname referring to a cleric or priest. 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 Proost (0.03 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 Proost?
See how many people have the surname Proost on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.