2000
#11,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Prout
An English occupational surname for a brave or valiant person, derived from the Old French word "preux".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,702 Americans carry the last name Prout. That puts it at #12,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prout 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prout with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,852
Census rank
#12,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,356 bearers of the surname Prout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prout, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prout
The surname Prout originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "prou," meaning "brave" or "valiant." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone who displayed acts of bravery or valor.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are entries for individuals with similar surnames such as "Prut" and "Prud." These variations in spelling were common during that time as standardized spelling was not yet established.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Prout can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1201, which mention a William Prout. Another early example is Hugh Prout, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
The surname Prout was also associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, in the 14th century, there were references to individuals from places like "Proutsfeld" and "Proutestrowe," which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Prout throughout history include:
1. Samuel Prout (1783-1852), an English painter and watercolorist known for his architectural and landscape works.
2. William Prout (1785-1850), an English chemist and physician who proposed the hypothesis that all atomic weights are whole-number multiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen.
3. John Skinner Prout (1809-1871), an English clergyman and composer of church music, best known for his hymn tunes.
4. Ebenezer Prout (1835-1909), an English music theorist and composer who wrote influential works on harmony and counterpoint.
5. Henry Prout (1892-1963), a British Olympic rower who won a silver medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.
These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who bore the surname Prout, spanning fields such as art, science, music, and athletics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prout
Among Census respondents with the surname Prout, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Prout 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 Prout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 1,657
- Black or African American17.8% · 419
- Two or more races5.7% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prout
Prout appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,733
+157 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#12,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,356
-377 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,265 | 2,576 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,508 | 2,733 | 0.93 | +157 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #12,554 | 2,356 | 0.79 | -377 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 1,046 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 Prout 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 | #11,508 | #12,554 | -9.1% |
| Count | 2,733 | 2,356 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.79 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prout bearers went from 2,733 to 2,356 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 1,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,508 to #12,554.
FAQ
Prout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prout?
Name Census estimates that about 2,702 living Americans carry the surname Prout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,852 residents.
How common is Prout?
Prout ranks #12,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,356 people with the surname Prout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Prout.
Has Prout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prout went from 2,733 recorded bearers to 2,356. That is a decrease of 377 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,508 to #12,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Prout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prout, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Prout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (1,657 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.3%), Black (17.8%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Prout (2000, 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 Prout mean?
An English occupational surname for a brave or valiant person, derived from the Old French word "preux". 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 Prout (0.79 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 many people have the surname Prout?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.