2000
#9,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Prejean
A French occupational surname referring to a tender of prisoners or jailer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,727 Americans carry the last name Prejean. That puts it at #9,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prejean 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
3.7K
1 in 91,965
Census rank
#9,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,250 bearers of the surname Prejean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prejean
Among Census respondents with the surname Prejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Prejean 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 Prejean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 2,154
- Black or African American27.4% · 891
- Two or more races3.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prejean
Prejean 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
#9,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,294
+91 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 493 places
2020
#9,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,250
-44 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,337 | 3,203 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,830 | 3,294 | 1.12 | +91 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 493 places |
| 2020 | #9,566 | 3,250 | 1.09 | -44 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 264 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 Prejean 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 | #9,830 | #9,566 | 2.7% |
| Count | 3,294 | 3,250 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.09 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prejean bearers went from 3,294 to 3,250 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,830 to #9,566.
FAQ
Prejean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prejean?
Name Census estimates that about 3,727 living Americans carry the surname Prejean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,965 residents.
How common is Prejean?
Prejean ranks #9,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,250 people with the surname Prejean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Prejean.
Has Prejean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prejean went from 3,294 recorded bearers to 3,250. That is a decrease of 44 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,830 to #9,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Prejean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Prejean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (2,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prejean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Black (27.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Prejean (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 Prejean mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a tender of prisoners or jailer. 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 Prejean (1.09 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 Prejean?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Prejean, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.