2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Preder
A spelling variant of the German surname Preder, of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Preder. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Preder 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Preder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Preder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Preder
The surname Preder has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where the name was first recorded in various forms such as Preder, Predder, and Preeder.
The name Preder is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "preder," which means "preacher" or "minister." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been members of the clergy or individuals involved in religious activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Preder can be found in the 1305 Stadtbach manuscript, which mentions a certain Hans Preder, a resident of the town of Nürnberg. Additionally, the Preder family is mentioned in the 1412 Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony.
During the 15th century, the Preder surname gained prominence in the city of Augsburg, where several members of the family held influential positions. Notable figures from this period include Johannes Preder (1435-1504), a respected merchant and city councilor, and Matthias Preder (1460-1528), a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
In the 16th century, the Preder family expanded their reach beyond Bavaria, with branches establishing themselves in various parts of Germany and neighboring regions. One notable figure from this period was Hans Preder (1520-1583), a skilled goldsmith who worked in the court of the Elector of Saxony.
As the centuries passed, the Preder surname continued to spread across Europe. In the 18th century, a family of Preders settled in the Netherlands, where they became prominent merchants and bankers. One of the most famous members of this branch was Willem Preder (1745-1812), a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded several charitable institutions in Amsterdam.
Other notable individuals with the surname Preder include Karl Preder (1875-1949), an Austrian architect who designed several landmark buildings in Vienna, and Friedrich Preder (1892-1968), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Preder
Among Census respondents with the surname Preder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Preder 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 Preder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Preder
Preder 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-3 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,793 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-19 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 9,793 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 18,229 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 Preder 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 | #125,282 | #143,511 | -14.6% |
| Count | 137 | 118 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Preder bearers went from 137 to 118 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 18,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #143,511.
FAQ
Preder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Preder?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Preder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Preder?
Preder ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Preder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Preder.
Has Preder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Preder went from 137 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 19 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Preder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Preder, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Preder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Preder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Preder (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 Preder mean?
A spelling variant of the German surname Preder, of uncertain meaning. 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 Preder (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 many Americans have the surname Preder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.