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

Prater, 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 Prater surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prater in America

Prater is the 1839th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prater surname appeared 19,484 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Prater.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prater 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 Prater

The surname Prater is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the areas of Bavaria and Austria, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "prâter," which means "one who prattles" or "a chatterbox." This suggests that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who was known for excessive talking or gossiping.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Raitenbuch, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a person named Chunradus Prater. Additionally, the Prater surname appears in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries in southern Germany and Austria.

The name Prater is also associated with a famous public park in Vienna, Austria, known as the Prater. This park was originally a hunting ground for the Habsburg dynasty and was later opened to the public in the 16th century. It is believed that the name "Prater" was derived from the German word "Prater," meaning "meadow" or "pasture."

Notable individuals with the surname Prater throughout history include:

1. Hans Prater (c. 1445-1516), a German painter and engraver active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance period.
2. Johann Prater (1633-1704), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
3. Christoph Prater (1722-1793), an Austrian botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
4. Karl Prater (1810-1866), an Austrian landscape painter known for his depictions of the Austrian countryside and the Prater park in Vienna.
5. August Prater (1828-1901), a German-American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.

While the surname Prater has its roots in Germany and Austria, it has since spread to various other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the historical accounts and records mentioned above provide insights into the origin and early occurrences of this name, highlighting its linguistic and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prater

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

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 Prater 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 Prater 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 Prater was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!