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

Provo, 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 Provo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Provo in America

Provo is the 17142nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Provo surname appeared 1,653 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Provo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Provo 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 Provo

The surname Provo is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Lombardy, during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Latin word "probus," which means "upright" or "honest." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered trustworthy or of good character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Provo can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine Abbey of Cava dei Tirreni in Campania, Italy. In a document dated 1159, a certain Petrus Provo is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Liber Censuum, a papal register of properties and revenues, where a family named Provo is listed as owning land in the town of Lomello, near Pavia. This suggests that the name was well-established in the Lombardy region by that time.

During the Renaissance period, the name Provo gained some notable bearers. One such individual was Giovanni Provo, a prominent Renaissance painter from Milan who lived between 1475 and 1530. His works can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout northern Italy.

Another notable figure was Pietro Provo, a 16th-century humanist scholar and professor of rhetoric at the University of Pavia. He was born in 1521 and wrote several influential works on classical literature and rhetoric.

In the 18th century, the name Provo appeared in the historical records of the Republic of Venice. A certain Girolamo Provo was a prominent merchant and diplomat who served as the Venetian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1733 to 1737.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Provo can be found associated with the Italian unification movement. Giuseppe Provo, born in 1823 in Piedmont, was a patriot and soldier who fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi in the campaigns that led to the unification of Italy in 1861.

While the name Provo has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration. Throughout its history, the surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, merchants, and patriots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Provo

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

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

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

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