Find out how popular the last name Prah is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Prah.
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation in the former Czechoslovakia.
Prah, 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 Prah surname is from the 2010 census data.
Prah is the 60347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Prah surname appeared 334 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Prah.
We can also compare 2010 data for Prah 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 60347 | 62236 | -3.08% |
Count | 334 | 301 | 10.39% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.00% |
The surname PRAH is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic during the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Czech word "prah", meaning "threshold" or "doorstep". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or guarded a threshold or entrance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PRAH can be found in a document from the town of Chrudim, dated 1327, which mentions a farmer named Jan PRAH. Another early reference is in a registry from the village of Litomyšl in 1412, where a blacksmith named Tomáš PRAH is listed.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to neighboring regions, with mentions of a PRAH family living in the town of Jičín in 1469. Around this time, variations of the spelling also began to emerge, such as PRAHK and PRAKH.
One notable individual with the surname PRAH was Václav PRAH (1644-1718), a Czech priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of his hometown, Kutná Hora. Another was Alois PRAH (1788-1862), a Bohemian composer and violinist who served as the Kapellmeister for several noble families in Prague.
In the 19th century, the name PRAH can be found in records from various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the present-day Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria. For example, there is a record of a Johann PRAH (1821-1891), a blacksmith from the town of Třebíč in Moravia.
Other individuals with the surname PRAH include Marie PRAH (1876-1942), a Czech writer and poet who was active in the women's rights movement, and Jaroslav PRAH (1916-1995), a Czech-born American engineer and inventor who worked on the development of early computers.
While the surname PRAH is relatively uncommon, it has maintained a presence in various parts of Central Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic and surrounding regions, for several centuries.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Prah.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Prah was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 73.95% | 247 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 22.46% | 75 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 1.50% | 5 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Prah has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 73.95% | 83.72% | -12.39% |
Black | 22.46% | 12.62% | 56.10% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.50% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | (S)% | 1.66% | (S)% |
Hispanic | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Prah was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/prah-surname-popularity/">Prah last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Prah last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/prah-surname-popularity/.
"Prah last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/prah-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 May, 2025
Prah last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/prah-surname-popularity/.
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