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

Protho, 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 Protho surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Protho in America

Protho is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Protho surname appeared 154 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 Protho.

We can also compare 2010 data for Protho 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 Protho

The surname PROTHO has its origins in the ancient region of Thrace, located in what is now modern-day Bulgaria and Greece. It dates back to the 5th century BC and is derived from the Thracian word "prothos," which means "first" or "foremost." This suggests that the name may have been a title or honorific given to someone who was considered a leader or held a position of importance within their community.

The earliest recorded instances of the PROTHO surname can be found in Greek manuscripts and inscriptions from the 4th century BC. One notable example is the mention of a man named Prothos, son of Dionysios, in an Athenian inscription from around 350 BC. This suggests that the name had already been adopted as a surname by that time.

In the Middle Ages, the PROTHO surname surfaced in various regions of the Byzantine Empire, particularly in Thrace and Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). One significant figure bearing this name was Protho Kavafis, a prominent Byzantine scholar and philosopher who lived in the 11th century AD.

As the Ottoman Empire expanded into the Balkans, the PROTHO surname spread across the region, with pockets of families bearing this name appearing in modern-day Bulgaria, Greece, and other neighboring countries. A notable individual was Grigori Protho, a Bulgarian revolutionary who fought for independence from Ottoman rule in the late 19th century.

Another historical figure of note was Nikolai Protho, a Russian nobleman and military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1785 and died in 1836.

During the 20th century, the PROTHO surname gained recognition in the world of academia and literature. One such individual was Dimitri Protho, a Greek novelist and poet born in 1902 in Thessaloniki, who is renowned for his contributions to modern Greek literature.

While the PROTHO surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich and diverse history spanning multiple cultures and regions. From its ancient Thracian roots to its modern-day bearers, the name continues to carry the legacy of its illustrious past.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Protho

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

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 Protho 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 Protho 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 Protho was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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