2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Prasil
A Slavic surname derived from the word "prasli" meaning scattered or dispersed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Prasil. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prasil 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Prasil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prasil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prasil
The surname PRASIL is of Czech origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Prasily, located in the Plzen region of what is now the Czech Republic. The name is derived from the Old Czech word "prasilý," which means "dusty" or "covered in dust."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PRASIL surname can be found in a document from 1387, which mentions a certain Jakub PRASIL, a landowner in the village of Prasily. This document is part of the archives of the Premonstratensian monastery in the nearby town of Teplá.
In the 15th century, the PRASIL name appeared in several records related to the Hussite Wars, a series of religious conflicts that took place in the Czech lands. Among those mentioned is Jan PRASIL, a supporter of the Hussite movement, who was born around 1410 and died in the Battle of Lipany in 1434.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the PRASIL surname spread throughout the Czech lands, with families bearing this name residing in various towns and villages. One notable figure from this period was Václav PRASIL, a renowned glassmaker who lived in the town of Nový Bor in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, the PRASIL name can be found in the records of the Bohemian Chancellery, which was the highest administrative office in the Kingdom of Bohemia at the time. One such record from 1723 mentions a certain Tomáš PRASIL, a landowner from the village of Prasily.
Another prominent individual with the PRASIL surname was Josef PRASIL, a Czech painter and illustrator who lived from 1804 to 1877. He was known for his paintings of landscapes and historical scenes, many of which can be found in art galleries and museums throughout the Czech Republic.
Throughout its history, the PRASIL surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, glassmaking, and the arts. While it is not a particularly common surname, it has maintained a presence in the Czech lands for centuries, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prasil
Among Census respondents with the surname Prasil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Prasil 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 Prasil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prasil
Prasil 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,460 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 444 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,460 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 444 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 Prasil 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 | #146,201 | #145,757 | 0.3% |
| Count | 113 | 115 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prasil bearers went from 113 to 115 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 444 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,757.
FAQ
Prasil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prasil?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Prasil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Prasil?
Prasil ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Prasil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Prasil.
Has Prasil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prasil went from 113 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Prasil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prasil, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Prasil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prasil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Prasil (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 Prasil mean?
A Slavic surname derived from the word "prasli" meaning scattered or dispersed. 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 Prasil (0.04 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 Prasil?
See how many people have the surname Prasil on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.