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

Prendergast, 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 Prendergast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prendergast in America

Prendergast is the 5936th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prendergast surname appeared 5,800 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Prendergast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prendergast 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 Prendergast

The surname Prendergast originated in Wales during the medieval period. It derives from the Welsh place name Prendergast, comprised of the elements "prendir" meaning "land" and "gast" meaning "waste or wilderness." The name likely referred to an area of uncultivated land.

In the 13th century, the surname began appearing in records in Wales. One of the earliest known bearers was Sir Gerald de Prendergast, who lived during the reign of King John in the early 1200s. He owned lands in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The Prendergast name also has a connection to Ireland, as some bearers were among the Anglo-Norman settlers who arrived in Ireland in the 12th century. The name appears in the Pipe Rolls of County Tipperary in 1211, referring to Philip de Prendergast.

Notable individuals with this surname include Maurice de Prendergast (d. 1205), a medieval Welsh landowner and military leader who fought against the Anglo-Normans. Another was John Prendergast (1808-1886), an Anglo-Irish writer and civil servant who advocated for famine relief in Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey Prendergast Wykeham-Musgrave (1799-1881) was a British Member of Parliament and landowner in Ireland. Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast (1834-1913) was a British Army officer who served in the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Boer War.

Thomas Prendergast (1806-1886) was an English composer and organist who wrote works for the Anglican church. More recently, Val Prendergast (1916-1972) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prendergast

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

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

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

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