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

Proulx, 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 Proulx surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Proulx in America

Proulx is the 6645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Proulx surname appeared 5,096 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Proulx.

We can also compare 2010 data for Proulx 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 Proulx

The surname PROULX is of French origin and dates back to the early 17th century. It is derived from the Old French word "prouz" or "proulz", meaning brave or valiant. The name likely originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas of Normandy and Brittany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ecclesiastical Register of the Diocese of Quebec in 1636, where a man named Mathurin Proulx is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established in France before the colonization of New France (present-day Quebec, Canada).

In the 17th and 18th centuries, several families with the surname PROULX were among the early French settlers in the colony of New France. They played a role in the development of the region, contributing to various aspects of colonial life, including agriculture, trade, and exploration.

Notable individuals with the surname PROULX include Antoine Proulx (1773-1840), a farmer and political figure in Lower Canada (now Quebec). He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1809 and served until 1810.

Another prominent figure was Joseph-Adolphe Proulx (1834-1906), a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and educator. He served as the principal of the Collège de Rigaud, a classical college in Quebec, from 1872 to 1906.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of Joseph Proulx, who was born in 1819 in Vermont. He was a farmer and a member of the Vermont General Assembly in the 1860s.

Pierre Proulx (1854-1923) was a Canadian businessman and politician from Quebec. He served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1917, representing the riding of Maskinongé.

Jean-Baptiste Proulx (1786-1861) was a French-Canadian farmer and militia officer who fought in the War of 1812 on the side of the British. He was awarded the Military General Service Medal for his service.

While the surname PROULX is predominantly found in Canada and the United States, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the brave and valiant individuals who bore this name in the early days of French settlement in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Proulx

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

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

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

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