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

Prenger, 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 Prenger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prenger in America

Prenger is the 25572nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prenger surname appeared 965 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 Prenger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prenger 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 Prenger

The surname Prenger is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "Pranger," which referred to a pillory or a wooden structure used for public punishment and humiliation.

The Prenger surname was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. It is thought to have originated as a descriptive name, likely given to someone who lived near a pillory or was associated with its usage, perhaps as a town official responsible for administering punishments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Prenger surname can be found in the Würzburg Archives, dated around 1350, which mentions a Hans Prenger. Another early record comes from the town of Augsburg in Bavaria, where a Konrad Prenger is mentioned in a document from 1402.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records across southern Germany, including mentions of a Peter Prenger in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1456 and a Margaretha Prenger in Nuremberg in 1489.

Notables with the Prenger surname include Johann Prenger (1564-1637), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Rudolph II in Prague. Another notable figure was Johann Christoph Prenger (1712-1784), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his portraits and religious works.

As the surname spread beyond its original region, variations in spelling emerged, such as Pränger, Prängar, and Prangner. In some instances, the name may have been influenced by local place names or derived from similar-sounding words in regional dialects.

Other notable individuals with the Prenger surname include:

1. Philipp Prenger (1613-1680), a German mathematician and astronomer from Augsburg, who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.

2. Wilhelm Prenger (1786-1853), a German philologist and educator, known for his work on ancient Greek and Latin texts.

3. Karl Prenger (1849-1921), a German architect and urban planner, known for his work in developing the city of Wiesbaden in the late 19th century.

4. Gertrud Prenger (1872-1945), a German writer and feminist activist, known for her contributions to the women's rights movement in the early 20th century.

5. Otto Prenger (1891-1964), a German-American artist and illustrator, best known for his work in portraiture and commercial art in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prenger

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

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

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

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