Explore the Family Name Providence
The meaning of Providence
French and West Indian (mainly Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago): from a personal name or nickname based on French and English providence ‘foresight’, as a personal name in the sense ‘the foreknowing and beneficent care and government of God’. This surname is very rare in France. In the US, it is mainly of West Indian origin.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Providence in the United States?
Based on the data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Providence experienced a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Providence was ranked 52,077 in terms of commonality amongst surnames but it moved up to rank 42,790 by 2010, showing a growth rate of 17.83%. The total count of people with the Providence surname also increased from 375 in 2000 to 506 in 2010, marking an impressive rise of nearly 35%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #52,077 | #42,790 | 17.83% |
| Count | 375 | 506 | 34.93% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.14 | 0.17 | 21.43% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Providence
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Providence also showed some changes during the same period as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The proportion of individuals identifying as Black with this surname rose slightly from 79.20% in 2000 to 82.81% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw a minor increase of 7.5%, while the percentage of those who identified with two or more races fell significantly by 50.5%. The proportion of White individuals with this surname decreased by 27.68%. Interestingly, the census of 2010 recorded individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity for the first time with this surname, although the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw no change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 79.2% | 82.81% | 4.56% |
| White | 11.2% | 8.1% | -27.68% |
| Hispanic | 5.33% | 5.73% | 7.5% |
| Two or More Races | 4% | 1.98% | -50.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.38% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |