Find out how popular the last name Prager is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Prager.

Prager, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Prager surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prager in America

Prager is the 13642nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prager surname appeared 2,220 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Prager.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prager to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Prager

The surname Prager is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Prussia. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the German word "Prag," which means "Prague," referring to the capital city of the Czech Republic. The name was likely adopted by individuals who either lived in or had some connection to the city of Prague.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prager can be found in the Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch, a historical dictionary of German legal terms, which mentions a person named "Prager" in the year 1296. This suggests that the name was already in use during the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, a notable individual named Johann Prager (1499-1543) lived in Nürnberg, Germany. He was a prominent Reformist and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another Prager of historical significance was Wenzel Prager (1567-1636), a German lawyer and politician who served as a councilor in the city of Nürnberg.

The name Prager also appeared in various historical records and documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, the Prussian writer and philosopher Johann Georg Prager (1692-1768) was born in Stettin, which is now known as Szczecin, Poland. He was a prominent figure in the early German Enlightenment movement.

In the 19th century, a notable individual with the surname Prager was the Austrian-born American businessman and philanthropist Jacob Prager (1834-1917). He founded the successful Prager Beer Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York, and was also involved in various charitable endeavors.

Another historical figure worth mentioning is the German-born American architect and engineer Otto Prager (1857-1927). He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in New York City, including the Astor Court Building and the Church of the Ascension.

Throughout its history, the surname Prager has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Prague, Prager Street, and Pragerberg, among others. The name has also undergone slight variations in spelling, including Praeger, Prayger, and Prachner, which were likely influenced by regional dialects and linguistic variations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prager

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Prager.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Prager was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Prager has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Prager was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Prager, please contact us.

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