2000
#500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.17
Uncommon Last name
Pratt
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tools or small metal objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 67,856 Americans carry the last name Pratt. That puts it at #558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pratt 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 Pratt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
68K
1 in 5,051
Census rank
#558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
59K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 59,174 bearers of the surname Pratt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pratt
The surname Pratt originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "prat," meaning a small meadow or piece of land. This name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on such a plot of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century. In the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, a William Prat is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include a reference to a Hugo Prat in Oxfordshire.
During the 13th century, the name Pratt appeared in various parts of England, including Hertfordshire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk. It was sometimes spelled differently, such as Prat, Pratte, or Prate.
The Domesday Book, completed in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Pratt. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Pratis in Oxfordshire and Prate in Wiltshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Pratt was Sir John Pratt (c. 1520-1594), an English landowner and Member of Parliament. Another prominent figure was Sir Roger Pratt (1628-1684), an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Pratt (1737-1819) was a successful American merchant and philanthropist. He founded the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Charles Pratt (1830-1891), an American businessman and philanthropist, was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company and a major benefactor of educational institutions.
Lastly, Orville Pratt (1819-1891) was a prominent leader and apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pratt
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pratt 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 Pratt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 44,491
- Black or African American15.4% · 9,102
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,514
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,083
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 525
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 459
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pratt
Pratt 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
#541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,671
+1,870 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 20.91
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,174
-2,497 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 19.80
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #500 | 59,801 | 22.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #541 | 61,671 | 20.91 | +1,870 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #558 | 59,174 | 19.80 | -2,497 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 17 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 Pratt 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 | #541 | #558 | -3.1% |
| Count | 61,671 | 59,174 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 20.91 | 19.80 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pratt bearers went from 61,671 to 59,174 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #541 to #558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pratt
FAQ
Pratt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pratt?
Name Census estimates that about 67,856 living Americans carry the surname Pratt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,051 residents.
How common is Pratt?
Pratt ranks #558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 59,174 people with the surname Pratt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (67,856), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Pratt.
Has Pratt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pratt went from 61,671 recorded bearers to 59,174. That is a decrease of 2,497 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #541 to #558.
What does the Census say about the background of Pratt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Pratt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (44,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pratt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Pratt (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 Pratt mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tools or small metal objects. 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 Pratt (19.80 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 common is the surname Pratt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Pratt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.