2000
#13,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Preble
Derived from a French place name meaning "plumb tree" or "plum orchard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,300 Americans carry the last name Preble. That puts it at #14,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,024 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Preble 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
2.3K
1 in 149,024
Census rank
#14,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,006 bearers of the surname Preble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Preble, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Preble
The surname Preble is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "prable," meaning "meadow" or "prairie." It is believed to have first emerged in the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Preble name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry refers to a landowner named Roger de Prable, whose estate was located in the county of Shropshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, variations of the name were commonly found in various regions of England, including Preble, Preeble, and Prable. These variations likely arose due to local dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the 14th century, records show a notable figure named John Preble, who served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of Edward III. He was born around 1310 and represented the county of Somerset.
The Preble name also has strong associations with several place names in England, such as Prebles Marsh in Nottinghamshire and Preble's Farm in Kent. These place names likely originated from early Preble settlers or landowners in those areas.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the Preble name was Commodore Edward Preble, a prominent American naval officer who lived from 1761 to 1807. He played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and is credited with leading the first successful offensive campaign against the Barbary pirates.
Another notable figure was George Henry Preble, an American historian and genealogist born in 1816. He authored several books on the history of New England and was a prominent member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
In the 19th century, Joseph Preble, born in 1810, was a respected educator and author who served as the principal of Westbrook Seminary in Maine. He wrote several influential textbooks on mathematics and surveying.
The Preble name also has connections to the American Revolutionary War, with Jedediah Preble, born in 1707, serving as a colonel in the Continental Army. He played a significant role in the defense of Fort Pownall in Maine during the war.
Finally, William Pitt Preble, born in 1783, was a prominent lawyer and politician from Maine. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Preble
Among Census respondents with the surname Preble, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Preble 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 Preble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 1,790
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 90
- Two or more races4.1% · 82
- Black or African American0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Preble
Preble 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
#14,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,117
+115 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#14,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,006
-111 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,848 | 2,002 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,184 | 2,117 | 0.72 | +115 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #14,345 | 2,006 | 0.67 | -111 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 161 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 Preble 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 | #14,184 | #14,345 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,117 | 2,006 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Preble bearers went from 2,117 to 2,006 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,184 to #14,345.
FAQ
Preble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Preble?
Name Census estimates that about 2,300 living Americans carry the surname Preble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,024 residents.
How common is Preble?
Preble ranks #14,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,006 people with the surname Preble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Preble.
Has Preble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Preble went from 2,117 recorded bearers to 2,006. That is a decrease of 111 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,184 to #14,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Preble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Preble, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Preble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (1,790 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Preble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Preble (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 Preble mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "plumb tree" or "plum orchard." 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 Preble (0.67 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 share the surname Preble?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.