2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Precup
A surname indicating an origin in the Transylvanian region of Romania.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Precup. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Precup 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Precup in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Precup, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Precup
The surname Precup has its origins in Romania, where it first emerged in the late 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Romanian word "precut," which translates to "overabundance" or "surplus." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who possessed an abundance of something, such as wealth or land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Precup surname dates back to 1692, when a document from the village of Vîlcele mentions a landowner named Ion Precup. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 17th century, likely among those with some degree of economic prosperity.
In the 19th century, the Precup name appears in various historical records from the Transylvania region, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For instance, a census from 1857 lists several families with the Precup surname living in the town of Sibiu.
Notable individuals bearing the Precup surname include Dumitru Precup (1828-1896), a Romanian teacher and author who played a significant role in the development of education in Transylvania. Another prominent figure was Vasile Precup (1897-1963), a Romanian politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the 1930s.
The name Precup can also be found in other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Moldova and Ukraine, likely due to migration patterns of Romanian populations over the centuries. For example, Grigore Precup (1886-1949) was a Moldovan politician and journalist who advocated for the rights of Moldovan Romanians.
Other notable individuals with the Precup surname include Mihai Precup (1915-1998), a Romanian writer and scholar known for his works on Romanian literature and culture, and Dumitru Precup (1920-2008), a Romanian engineer and academic who made significant contributions to the field of hydraulic engineering.
While the Precup surname has its roots in Romania, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, its history and etymology remain deeply intertwined with the Romanian language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Precup
Among Census respondents with the surname Precup, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Precup 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 Precup surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Precup
Precup appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+17 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,735 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 14,735 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 Precup 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 | #156,044 | #141,309 | 9.4% |
| Count | 104 | 121 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Precup bearers went from 104 to 121 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 14,735 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #141,309.
FAQ
Precup surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Precup?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Precup. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Precup?
Precup ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Precup. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Precup.
Has Precup become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Precup went from 104 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 17 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Precup?
Among Census respondents with the surname Precup, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Precup in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Precup appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Black (2.5%). 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 Precup (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 Precup mean?
A surname indicating an origin in the Transylvanian region of Romania. 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 Precup (0.04 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 Precup?
You can see how many people are called Precup on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.