2000
#8,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,694
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Pray
An occupational surname referring to someone who performed prayer services or worked as a priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,100 Americans carry the last name Pray. That puts it at #8,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pray 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 Pray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,599
Census rank
#8,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,575 bearers of the surname Pray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pray, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pray
The surname PRAY has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "preie," meaning "prey" or "plunder." This name was likely given to someone who made a living through hunting or foraging.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PRAY surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated 1273, which mentions a person named Richard le Preye. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1268, where a person named William Preye is listed.
During the Middle Ages, the PRAY surname was primarily concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. Some variant spellings from this period include Prai, Praye, and Preye.
The PRAY surname has a notable historical connection to the village of Prayag (now known as Allahabad) in India. In the 16th century, a British soldier named John PRAY was stationed in this region and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to visit the sacred confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
One of the earliest prominent figures with the PRAY surname was Sir Richard PRAY (1510-1585), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Wiltshire. He served as the Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1557 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1575.
Another notable person was Edward PRAY (1634-1718), an English composer and organist who served as the organist at the Chapel Royal during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, John PRAY (1717-1793) was a renowned clockmaker from London, known for his intricate and highly accurate timepieces.
James PRAY (1804-1878), born in Wiltshire, was a prominent architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Finally, William PRAY (1835-1909), a descendant of the Wiltshire PRAY family, was a renowned explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to South America and authored several books on the region's flora and fauna.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pray
Among Census respondents with the surname Pray, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pray 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 Pray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 2,879
- Black or African American9.6% · 343
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 158
- Two or more races3.4% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pray
Pray 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
#8,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,773
+79 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 447 places
2020
#8,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,575
-198 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,253 | 3,694 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,700 | 3,773 | 1.28 | +79 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 447 places |
| 2020 | #8,807 | 3,575 | 1.20 | -198 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 107 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 Pray 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 | #8,700 | #8,807 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,773 | 3,575 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.20 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pray bearers went from 3,773 to 3,575 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,700 to #8,807.
FAQ
Pray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pray?
Name Census estimates that about 4,100 living Americans carry the surname Pray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,599 residents.
How common is Pray?
Pray ranks #8,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,575 people with the surname Pray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pray.
Has Pray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pray went from 3,773 recorded bearers to 3,575. That is a decrease of 198 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,700 to #8,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Pray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pray, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Pray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (2,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (9.6%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Pray (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 Pray mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who performed prayer services or worked as a priest. 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 Pray (1.20 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 surname Pray?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.