Explore the Family Name Prowse

The meaning of Prowse

1. English (Devon and Cornwall): nickname from Middle English prous, prus, variant forms of prou ‘brave, valiant, proud’ (see Prue). 2. English (Devon and Cornwall): ethnic name: from Middle English Prus(se), Pruce ‘Prussia, Prussian’, for someone from that region. Compare Sprouse. 3. Americanized form of German Prause or Praus, or perhaps of some other similar (like-sounding) surname.

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

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

According to data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Prowse has decreased slightly over a decade. In 2000, the Prowse family name held the rank of 34,459, but by 2010, it had slipped to 36,630, marking a change of -6.3%. The count of individuals carrying the Prowse surname also reflected this decline, with 622 people in 2000 and 610 in 2010, showing a drop of -1.93%. The proportion of Prowse per 100,000 people likewise fell by -8.7%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#34,459	#36,630	-6.3%
Count	622	610	-1.93%
Proportion per 100k	0.23	0.21	-8.7%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Prowse

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that majority of individuals with the Prowse surname identify as White, with 95.50% in 2000 and 94.92% in 2010 -- showing a slight decrease of -0.61%. Those identifying themselves as part of two or more races increased from 1.13% to 1.48%, an increase of 30.97%. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant drop from 3.05% to 2.46%, a decrease of -19.34%. There were no individuals with the Prowse surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native for both years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.5%	94.92%	-0.61%
Hispanic	3.05%	2.46%	-19.34%
Two or More Races	1.13%	1.48%	30.97%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%