Explore the Family Name Prost

The meaning of Prost

1. French: shortened form of Provost 1 ‘provost’, a cognate of 4. 2. German: shortened form of Probst ‘provost’, a cognate of 4. 3. German (of Slavic origin) and Jewish (from Poland): nickname from Polish prosty ‘simple, common’. 4. Dutch: variant and possibly also an Americanized form of Proost, from Middle Dutch proo(f)st ‘provost’, an occupational name for the head of a religious chapter or educational establishment, or, since such officials were usually clergy and celibate, a nickname for a self-important person. Some characteristic forenames: French Constant, Alain, Francoise, Jean Pierre.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Prost in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Prost has seen a subtle rise in the United States between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname improved from 29,873 in 2000 to 28,856 in 2010, marking a 3.4 percent change. In terms of count, there were 742 individuals with this surname in 2000, which increased by an impressive 11.05 percent to reach 824 people in 2010. Despite the increase in numbers, the proportion per 100,000 remained consistent at 0.28.

20002010Change
Rank#29,873#28,8563.4%
Count74282411.05%
Proportion per 100k0.280.280%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Prost

In regards to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Prost identify as White. This group accounted for 97.3 percent in 2000 and dropped slightly to 94.9 percent in 2010, showing a small decrease of 2.47 percent. Notably, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase over the decade, growing from 1.62 percent in 2000 to 3.64 percent in 2010, a whopping 124.69 percent change. The population identifying as two or more ethnicities declined by 8.96 percent, from 0.67 percent in 2000 to 0.61 percent in 2010. There was no change in the groups identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native; they all maintained a zero percent share in both years.

20002010Change
White97.3%94.9%-2.47%
Hispanic1.62%3.64%124.69%
Two or More Races0.67%0.61%-8.96%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%