2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Provancha
Surname originating from a European place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Provancha. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Provancha 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Provancha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Provancha, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Provancha
The surname Provancha has its origins in the Provence region of southern France, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French words "provant" and "champ," meaning "fertile field" or "cultivated land." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a farmer or lived near a productive agricultural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Provancha can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript dated around 1150. This document mentions a landowner named Guilhem Provancha, who owned property near the city of Marseille.
During the 13th century, the Provancha family appears to have gained some prominence in the region. In 1278, a nobleman named Raoul Provancha was mentioned in the Livre des Fiefs de Provence, a record of feudal landholdings in Provence. This suggests that the Provancha family had achieved a certain level of wealth and status by this time.
As the centuries passed, the name Provancha spread beyond the borders of Provence. In the late 15th century, a merchant named Jean Provancha is recorded as having lived in the city of Lyon, which was a major trade hub at the time.
One notable figure bearing the Provancha surname was Antoine Provancha, a French playwright and poet who lived from 1632 to 1692. He was known for his comedic plays and satirical works, which often poked fun at the aristocracy and upper classes.
Another individual of note was Marie-Anne Provancha, a French painter who lived from 1755 to 1829. She gained recognition for her portraits and historical scenes, and her works were exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon.
In the 19th century, the Provancha name made its way across the Atlantic. Louis Provancha, born in 1820 in France, emigrated to Canada and became a prominent figure in the Quebec literary scene, publishing several volumes of poetry and essays.
Another noteworthy individual was Jacques Provancha, a French explorer and adventurer who was born in 1875. He is known for his expeditions to various parts of Africa and Asia, and his writings about his travels were widely read during his lifetime.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Simone Provancha, a French resistance fighter during World War II. Born in 1912, she played a crucial role in the underground resistance movement against the Nazi occupation, risking her life to assist Allied forces and help protect Jewish citizens.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Provancha
Among Census respondents with the surname Provancha, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Provancha 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 Provancha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 94
- Two or more races11.6% · 13
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Provancha
Provancha 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,591 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,591 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Provancha 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Provancha bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Provancha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Provancha?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Provancha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Provancha?
Provancha ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Provancha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Provancha.
Has Provancha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Provancha went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Provancha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Provancha, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Provancha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Provancha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Two or More Races (11.6%), Black (2.7%). 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 Provancha (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 Provancha mean?
Surname originating from a European place name. 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 Provancha (0.04 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 share the surname Provancha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.