2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Protain
A variant spelling of the occupational surname Prothain or Prothin, derived from an old spelling of "portion" meaning a meal, referring to someone who provided portions or meals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Protain. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Protain 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Protain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Protain, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (14.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Protain
The surname PROTAIN has its origins in France, specifically in the Normandy region, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "protain," meaning "protector" or "guardian." The name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who served as a protector or guardian of a particular place or person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PROTAIN can be found in the Calendars of Patent Rolls from the year 1272, where a certain "Robertus Protain" is mentioned in connection with land holdings in the village of Caen, Normandy. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the latter half of the 13th century.
In the 14th century, a manuscript known as the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen" mentions a "Guillelmus Protain," who was a landowner in the nearby village of Argences. This provides further evidence of the name's presence in the area during that time period.
The PROTAIN surname can also be traced to various place names in Normandy, such as the hamlet of "Protainville," which likely derived its name from an early bearer of the surname. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as "Protaine" and "Protin," were common in medieval records.
Notable individuals bearing the PROTAIN surname include:
1. Jean Protain (c. 1450-1520), a French merchant and landowner from Rouen, who was influential in the local textile trade.
2. Marguerite Protain (1532-1598), a renowned herbalist and healer from the village of Barfleur, known for her expertise in traditional remedies.
3. Nicolas Protain (1585-1648), a French painter and engraver from Caen, whose works can be found in various churches and monasteries throughout Normandy.
4. Antoine Protain (1632-1707), a French military officer who served in the Wars of the Grand Alliance and achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
5. Marie-Thérèse Protain (1718-1793), a notable philanthropist and benefactor from the city of Bayeux, who founded a school for underprivileged children in the region.
Throughout its history, the PROTAIN surname has maintained a strong presence in the Normandy region of France, with many bearers contributing to various aspects of local culture, commerce, and society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Protain
Among Census respondents with the surname Protain, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (14.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Protain 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 Protain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.5% · 62
- Black or African American26.4% · 28
- Two or more races14.2% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Protain
Protain 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 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 Protain 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 | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Protain bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Protain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Protain?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Protain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Protain?
Protain ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Protain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Protain.
Has Protain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Protain went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Protain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Protain, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (14.2%). 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 Protain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Protain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.5%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (14.2%). 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 Protain (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 Protain mean?
A variant spelling of the occupational surname Prothain or Prothin, derived from an old spelling of "portion" meaning a meal, referring to someone who provided portions or meals. 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 Protain (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 common is the surname Protain?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Protain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.