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

Provine, 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 Provine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Provine in America

Provine is the 49723rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Provine surname appeared 422 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 Provine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Provine 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 Provine

The surname Provine is believed to have originated in France, likely in the regions of Normandy or Brittany, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "provain," which means "provision" or "supply." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who provided provisions, perhaps a merchant or a supplier.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Provain," indicating its Norman French roots.

As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, such as Provyn, Provyne, and Provin. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir William Provine, a knight from Derbyshire, England. He is mentioned in historical records from 1256 for his participation in the battles against the Welsh during the reign of King Henry III.

Another early recorded individual with the surname Provine was John Provyne, a merchant from Bristol, England, born around 1410. He is mentioned in trade records from the 15th century, indicating his involvement in the importation of goods from France and the Netherlands.

In the 16th century, the name appears in Scottish records with the spelling Provane. One notable bearer was James Provane, a Scottish nobleman born in 1547, who served as a member of the Privy Council under King James VI of Scotland.

Moving to the 17th century, the name Provine can be found in the records of early settlers in the American colonies. One such individual was Thomas Provine, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635 and established a successful tobacco plantation.

Another notable figure was John Provine, born in 1692 in County Antrim, Ireland. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century and became a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.

As the surname spread across different regions and countries, it continued to evolve in spelling and pronunciation, reflecting the cultural influences and linguistic patterns of the areas where its bearers settled.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Provine

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

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

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

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