2000
#6,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,755
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Propst
An occupational surname for a church provost or steward, derived from the Latin word "praepositus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,293 Americans carry the last name Propst. That puts it at #7,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Propst 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
5.3K
1 in 64,756
Census rank
#7,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,616 bearers of the surname Propst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Propst, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Propst
The surname Propst originated in Germany, and its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "Probst," which means "provost" or "prelate." This title was given to high-ranking church officials who oversaw the governance and administration of religious institutions.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often originated from occupations, and Propst was likely adopted by individuals or families associated with ecclesiastical roles. The name's prevalence initially centered around regions where Germanic dialects were spoken, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and parts of what is now modern-day Austria and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Propst appears in the Deutsches Städtebuch, a compilation of German city records from the late 13th century. The entry mentions a certain "Johannes Propst," a citizen of the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in the year 1287.
In the 15th century, the name Propst gained further recognition through the works of the German Renaissance humanist and scholar, Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522). Reuchlin, who was born Johannes Propst, played a pivotal role in promoting the study of Greek and Hebrew languages in Europe, laying the foundation for modern philology.
Another notable figure bearing the Propst surname was Johann Propst (1550-1612), a German composer and organist active during the late Renaissance period. His works, including sacred motets and other liturgical pieces, were widely performed and published throughout German-speaking regions.
During the 17th century, the Propst family established a presence in the New World, with some members emigrating to the British colonies in North America. One such individual was Johann Propst (1635-1702), a German-born settler who became one of the earliest recorded residents of Germantown, Pennsylvania, in the late 1600s.
In the 19th century, the name Propst gained further recognition through the literary works of the German writer and poet, Rudolf Propst (1827-1890). Born in Bavaria, Propst's poetry and prose pieces often explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition, reflecting the Romantic movement of the time.
While the surname Propst has its roots in Germany and the Germanic language, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other regions with significant German immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Propst
Among Census respondents with the surname Propst, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Propst 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 Propst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 3,917
- Black or African American7.4% · 341
- Two or more races3.7% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Propst
Propst 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
#7,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,743
-12 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 487 places
2020
#7,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,616
-127 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,570 | 4,755 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,057 | 4,743 | 1.61 | -12 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 487 places |
| 2020 | #7,014 | 4,616 | 1.54 | -127 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 43 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 Propst 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 | #7,057 | #7,014 | 0.6% |
| Count | 4,743 | 4,616 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.54 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Propst bearers went from 4,743 to 4,616 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,057 to #7,014.
FAQ
Propst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Propst?
Name Census estimates that about 5,293 living Americans carry the surname Propst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,756 residents.
How common is Propst?
Propst ranks #7,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,616 people with the surname Propst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Propst.
Has Propst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Propst went from 4,743 recorded bearers to 4,616. That is a decrease of 127 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,057 to #7,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Propst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Propst, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Propst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (3,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Propst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Propst (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 Propst mean?
An occupational surname for a church provost or steward, derived from the Latin word "praepositus." 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 Propst (1.54 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 share the surname Propst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.