Find out how popular the last name Protheroe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Protheroe.

Protheroe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Protheroe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Protheroe in America

Protheroe is the 70833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Protheroe surname appeared 276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Protheroe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Protheroe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Protheroe

The surname Protheroe originated in Wales, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Welsh personal name "Protherch" or "Prothric," which means "prosperous" or "eminent one." This name was likely given to someone who had achieved a certain level of success or prominence within their community.

The name Protheroe can be traced back to the counties of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire in South Wales, where it was most concentrated in the medieval period. Early variations of the spelling included Prothero, Protherow, Protherghe, and Prothergh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the "Ministers' Accounts of the Earldom of Pembroke" from 1292-1293, where a "Rees Protherghe" is mentioned as holding land in the manor of Haverfordwest. This suggests that the Protheroe family had established roots in Pembrokeshire by the late 13th century.

Another notable early reference is found in the "Calendars of Chancery Rolls" from the reign of Edward III (1327-1377), which mentions a "John Protheroe" from Pembrokeshire. This indicates that the name was still prominent in the area during the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Protheroe family is recorded as holding lands in the parish of Llanddowror in Carmarthenshire. A "Thomas Protheroe" is listed as a landowner in the "Ministers' Accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster" from 1442-1443.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Protheroe was David Protheroe (c. 1520-1589), a Welsh clergyman and poet from Carmarthenshire. He is remembered for his religious works written in the Welsh language.

Another notable figure was Sir Edmund Protheroe (1590-1671), a Welsh lawyer and politician from Pembrokeshire who served as a Member of Parliament for Haverfordwest during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, John Protheroe (1723-1801) was a prominent Welsh landowner and industrialist from Carmarthenshire. He played a significant role in the development of the coal and iron industries in South Wales.

The 19th century saw the rise of William Protheroe (1818-1897), a Welsh businessman and philanthropist from Merthyr Tydfil. He made his fortune in the iron and coal industries and was a notable benefactor to various educational and charitable causes in Wales.

While the surname Protheroe has its roots in Wales, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by Welsh emigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Protheroe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Protheroe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Protheroe was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Protheroe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Protheroe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Protheroe, please contact us.

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