2000
#23,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 989
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Propp
A surname derived from the Russian word "prop" meaning "crop" or "harvest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,023 Americans carry the last name Propp. That puts it at #28,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 335,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Propp surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 335,048
Census rank
#28,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
892
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 892 bearers of the surname Propp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Propp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Propp
The surname Propp is of Russian origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Russian word "prorok," meaning "prophet" or "soothsayer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with religious or spiritual roles within their communities.
The name Propp can be traced to the Smolensk region of western Russia, where it was first recorded in historical documents from the late 1500s. During this time, the Smolensk region was under the control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and many Russian families adopted surnames as a means of distinguishing themselves from others.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Propp surname can be found in the Pistsovye Knigi (Census Books) of the Smolensk region, dating back to the late 16th century. These records were instrumental in documenting the names and occupations of individuals living in the area during that period.
In the 17th century, the Propp surname began to spread beyond the Smolensk region, with records indicating families bearing this name in various parts of Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. One notable individual from this era was Ivan Propp, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Tver in the late 1600s.
During the 18th century, the Propp surname gained further prominence with the rise of Vladimir Propp, a renowned literary scholar and folklorist who was born in 1895 in St. Petersburg. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on the structure and analysis of folk tales, which had a significant impact on the field of literary theory.
Another prominent figure with the Propp surname was Pyotr Propp, a Russian military officer and explorer who lived from 1835 to 1892. He played a crucial role in the exploration and mapping of Central Asia, leading several expeditions to the region during the latter half of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the Propp surname continued to be associated with notable individuals, including Lev Propp, a Soviet mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of probability theory and statistics. He was born in 1900 and passed away in 1980.
Additionally, the Propp surname has been linked to several place names in Russia, such as the village of Proppovskoye in the Smolensk region, further reinforcing its historical roots in the area.
While the Propp surname has its origins in Russia, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Propp
Among Census respondents with the surname Propp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Propp bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Propp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 822
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 40
- Two or more races2.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Propp
Propp appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#25,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 988
-1 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,267 places
2020
#28,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 892
-96 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 3,320 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,848 | 989 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,115 | 988 | 0.33 | -1 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 1,267 places |
| 2020 | #28,435 | 892 | 0.30 | -96 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 3,320 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Propp surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,115 | #28,435 | -13.2% |
| Count | 988 | 892 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.30 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Propp bearers went from 988 to 892 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 3,320 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,115 to #28,435.
FAQ
Propp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Propp?
Name Census estimates that about 1,023 living Americans carry the surname Propp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 335,048 residents.
How common is Propp?
Propp ranks #28,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 892 people with the surname Propp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Propp.
Has Propp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Propp went from 988 recorded bearers to 892. That is a decrease of 96 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,115 to #28,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Propp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Propp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Propp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Propp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Propp (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Propp mean?
A surname derived from the Russian word "prop" meaning "crop" or "harvest". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Propp (0.30 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Propp?
See how many people have the last name Propp on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.