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

Prather, 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 Prather surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prather in America

Prather is the 2298th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prather surname appeared 15,860 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Prather.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prather 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 Prather

The surname Prather is believed to have originated in England, and it is thought to be derived from the Old English word "prætere," which means "trickster" or "deceiver." This suggests that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone who was known for their cunning or deceptive behavior.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with references found in various historical documents such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Walter le Prater, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Prater, Prateur, and Praytour, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling of the time. One notable example is John Praytour, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1379.

Throughout history, the Prather surname has been associated with various locations and place names. For instance, in the 16th century, there were references to individuals with the surname living in the village of Prater's Hay in Shropshire, suggesting a possible connection between the surname and this particular location.

Several notable individuals have borne the Prather surname over the centuries. One of the earliest was John Prather, who was born in England around 1615 and later immigrated to Virginia in the 17th century, becoming one of the earliest settlers of the colony.

Another prominent figure was Henry Prather, a soldier and landowner who was born in Virginia in 1716. He served in the French and Indian War and later became a wealthy landowner, acquiring vast tracts of land in Kentucky.

In the 19th century, Richard Henry Prather, born in 1837, was a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court and was later appointed as the United States Ambassador to Mexico.

Reverend Nathaniel Prather, born in 1795, was a Baptist minister and educator who played a significant role in establishing several schools and churches in Kentucky and Indiana during the early 19th century.

Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the Prather surname was Richard S. Prather, an American author born in 1921, best known for his popular Shell Scott mystery novel series featuring a private detective protagonist.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prather

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

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

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

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