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

Proudfoot, 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 Proudfoot surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Proudfoot in America

Proudfoot is the 21119th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Proudfoot surname appeared 1,243 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 Proudfoot.

We can also compare 2010 data for Proudfoot 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 Proudfoot

The surname Proudfoot is of English origin, believed to have originated in the 13th century. It is a descriptive surname, referring to someone who walked with a proud or haughty gait. The name is derived from the Middle English words "proud" and "fot," which translates to "proud foot."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Proudfoot can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a Thomas Prudfot is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the 14th century, the surname Proudfoot appeared in various historical records, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Johannes Prudfote is listed. This record suggests that the name was well-established in the northern counties of England during this period.

The Proudfoot surname has its roots in various place names across England, such as Proudfoot Farm in Cumbria and Proudfoot Barn in Lancashire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Proudfoot who resided in or owned these locations.

One notable Proudfoot in history was Sir John Proudfoot (1552-1628), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northumberland in the early 17th century.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Proudfoot (1742-1824), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1817.

In the 19th century, James Proudfoot (1811-1890) was a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Greenville, South Carolina.

Elizabeth Proudfoot (1820-1911), a Scottish author and educator, is also noteworthy for her literary works, including "A Household Book of English Poetry" and "The Mother's Legacy to Her Unborn Child."

Lastly, John Proudfoot (1879-1958), an Australian Labor politician and trade unionist, served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the electorate of East Sydney from 1928 to 1931.

While the surname Proudfoot has its origins in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Scotland, Australia, and the United States, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Proudfoot

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!