2000
#13,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Prager
A Jewish occupational surname referring to someone from Prague or a merchant who traded there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,124 Americans carry the last name Prager. That puts it at #15,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prager 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prager with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,372
Census rank
#15,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,852 bearers of the surname Prager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prager
Among Census respondents with the surname Prager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Prager 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 Prager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,699
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 70
- Two or more races3.0% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prager
Prager 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
#13,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,220
+80 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,852
-368 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,620 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,104 | 2,140 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,642 | 2,220 | 0.75 | +80 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #15,262 | 1,852 | 0.62 | -368 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 1,620 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 Prager 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 | #13,642 | #15,262 | -11.9% |
| Count | 2,220 | 1,852 | -16.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.62 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prager bearers went from 2,220 to 1,852 (-16.6% change). The surname moved down 1,620 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,642 to #15,262.
FAQ
Prager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prager?
Name Census estimates that about 2,124 living Americans carry the surname Prager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,372 residents.
How common is Prager?
Prager ranks #15,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,852 people with the surname Prager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Prager.
Has Prager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prager went from 2,220 recorded bearers to 1,852. That is a decrease of 368 (-16.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,642 to #15,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Prager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Prager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Prager (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 Prager mean?
A Jewish occupational surname referring to someone from Prague or a merchant who traded there. 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 Prager (0.62 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 Prager?
Find out how many people have the last name Prager on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.