Probst
A German surname meaning “provost,” originally a title for a church or civic official.
The #5,540 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,234 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Probst comes from German Probst, meaning a provost or prelate, ultimately from Latin praepositus, “one placed in charge.” In medieval usage, the word could refer to an ecclesiastical officer or, more generally, a person with supervisory authority. As a surname, it likely began as an occupational nickname for someone who held that office or was associated with it.
History
The name is common in German-speaking areas and also appears in continental European surname forms such as Proost and Prost. Older surname writers noted that such names could arise either from an actual office-holder or, more loosely, as a descriptive or teasing nickname for someone seen as authoritative or clerical. It spread to North America with German immigration, where it is now a recognizable though not highly common surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older Germanic naming, church titles like Abt, Mönch, and Probst often became surnames, even when the family had no direct clerical connection.
From the historical record
“is more probably the same as Prout, corrupted from the name Provost, the mayor of a royal burgh, the dean or president of a collegiate church. The Continental names Probst, Proost, Prost would seem to be from the same source. The It. prode is valiant, brave ; the A. S. prud, prut, C. B. pridi, ornatus ; A. S.…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames