How common is the surname Proctor?

35,636 people in the United States had the surname Proctor in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,664 Americans. It ranked 977th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Proctor?

Mary Proctor, British astronomer (1862–1957), followed by Shara Proctor.

Where is the surname Proctor most common?

Wikidata records people named Proctor in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Proctor getting more or less common?

More common. 34,682 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,636 in 2010, up 2.8%.

The surname Proctor

An occupational surname, carried by 35,636 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex P623

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Proctor is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

The soil test was originally developed by Ralph R. Proctor.

Proctor is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 35,636 people named Proctor in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,664 Americans. That is up 2.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 34,682.

#977

rank among US surnames

35,636

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.8%

change since 2000 (was #918)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#968	Stanton	35,997	8,577
#969	Leal	35,958	8,586
#970	Cherry	35,877	8,606
#971	Compton	35,830	8,617
#972	Dudley	35,781	8,629
#973	Sierra	35,770	8,631
#974	Pollard	35,749	8,636

Who is named Proctor

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

70% of people named Proctor identified as white (not Hispanic), 22% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.1% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 70%
Black (not Hispanic) 22%
Two or more races 3.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Proctors

12 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Mary Proctor
British astronomer (1862–1957)
Shara Proctor
Anguillan long jumper, born 1988
Sian Proctor
African American explorer, scientist, STEM communicator, born 1970
Henry Proctor
American rower, 1929–2005
Redfield Proctor
American politician (1831-1908)
Robert N. Proctor
American historian, born 1954
Tyrese Proctor
Australian basketball player (born 2004)
Philip Proctor
American actor (born 1940)
Robert Proctor
Australian field hockey player, born 1949
Scott Proctor
American baseball player, born 1977
Redfield Proctor, Jr.
American politician (1879–1957)
Mortimer R. Proctor
American politician (1889–1968)

Notable Proctors come mostly from the United States (9), Australia (2) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Procter

Surnames that sound like Proctor

Procter

Proctor has the Soundex code P623, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P623.

Questions

Where does the surname Proctor come from?: The soil test was originally developed by Ralph R. Proctor.
How common is the surname Proctor?: 35,636 people in the United States had the surname Proctor in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,664 Americans. It ranked 977th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Proctor?: In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Proctor identified as white (not Hispanic), and 22% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Proctor?: Mary Proctor, British astronomer (1862–1957), followed by Shara Proctor.
Where is the surname Proctor most common?: Wikidata records people named Proctor in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
What type of surname is Proctor?: Proctor is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Proctor getting more or less common?: More common. 34,682 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,636 in 2010, up 2.8%.
What are other spellings of Proctor?: Procter.