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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • German : from Middle High German probest ‘superviser’,‘provost’ (from Latin propositus), an occupational name for the head of a religious chapter or educational establishment, or, since such officials were usually clergy and celibate, a nickname probably for a self-important person.
  • Jewish (Ashkenazic) : from German Probst ‘provost’; the reason for its adoption is unknown.

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