Find out how popular the last name Prejean is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Prejean.

Prejean, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Prejean surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prejean in America

Prejean is the 9830th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prejean surname appeared 3,294 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Prejean.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prejean to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Prejean

The surname Prejean has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Poitou-Charentes, where it first appeared around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "prégent," which means "worthy" or "excellent." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was considered virtuous or distinguished.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Prejean surname can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Gand, a medieval manuscript from the city of Ghent, Belgium, dating back to the late 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Jehan Pregent," indicating the presence of the name in that region during that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records from the Poitou region of France, often spelled as "Pregent" or "Prégent." It is believed that the spelling "Prejean" emerged later as a variation, possibly influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors.

One notable figure bearing the Prejean surname was Jacques Prejean, a French merchant and explorer who lived in the late 16th century. He was among the first Europeans to explore parts of the Gulf Coast region of what is now the United States, and his accounts of his travels provided valuable insights into the region's geography and indigenous populations.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Marie-Anne Prejean, a French Ursuline nun who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. She played a crucial role in the establishment of the Ursuline convent in New Orleans, Louisiana, which became an important center of education for girls in the French colonial territory.

In the 18th century, the Prejean surname can be found in various records from the French colony of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada). One notable figure was Pierre Prejean, born in 1702, who was among the Acadian settlers expelled during the Great Upheaval of 1755-1763, when the British forcibly deported thousands of Acadians from their homeland.

The 19th century saw the Prejean surname spread to other parts of North America, as Acadian and French immigrants settled in various regions. One notable individual from this period was Joseph Prejean, a French-Canadian author and journalist born in 1842, who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Acadian and French-Canadian communities.

Another notable figure was Edmond Prejean, a Louisiana-born politician and lawyer who lived from 1865 to 1944. He served as a member of the Louisiana State Senate and played a prominent role in the state's political affairs during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prejean

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Prejean.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Prejean was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Prejean has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Prejean was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Prejean, please contact us.

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