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

Prell, 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 Prell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prell in America

Prell is the 26339th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prell surname appeared 927 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Prell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prell 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 Prell

The surname Prell is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "prell," which means "to rebound" or "to bounce." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a ball maker or was involved in activities related to sports and games involving balls.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prell can be found in the town of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, where a certain Johannes Prell was mentioned in a document dated 1387. This document was a record of land ownership and taxation, indicating that the Prell family may have been landowners or farmers in the region.

Another early reference to the name Prell can be traced back to the city of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. In a guild register from the late 15th century, a craftsman named Hans Prell was listed as a member of the coopers' guild, which dealt with the production of barrels, casks, and other wooden containers.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Prell began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Brandenburg, and Silesia. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Georg Prell, a Lutheran theologian and philosopher who lived from 1629 to 1699. He served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and wrote several influential works on theology and ethics.

In the 18th century, the Prell name was also found in Austria, where a family by the name of Prell settled in the region of Tyrol. One of their descendants, Josef Prell (1771-1842), became a prominent figure in the Austrian military and served as a general during the Napoleonic Wars.

Another notable individual with the surname Prell was Carl Prell, a German composer and music educator who lived from 1820 to 1887. He was known for his compositions for wind instruments and his contributions to music education in Germany.

As the Prell family spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Prell, Pröll, and Pröhle. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional variations in pronunciation.

While the surname Prell may have originated as an occupational name, over time it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations, regardless of the family's actual profession or occupation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prell

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

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 Prell 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 Prell 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 Prell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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