2000
#4,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,799
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.89
Rare Last name
Prentice
An apprentice in a trade or craft, often a mason, carpenter, or other skilled worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,751 Americans carry the last name Prentice. That puts it at #4,520 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,167 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prentice 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prentice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,167
Census rank
#4,520
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,631 bearers of the surname Prentice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4520th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentice, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prentice
The surname Prentice originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "aprentis," meaning "apprentice" or "learner." This occupational name was initially given to individuals who were bound to a master craftsman or tradesman to learn a particular skill or trade.
During the medieval period, the Prentice surname was found primarily in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. Early records show variations in spelling, including Prentiz, Prentys, and Prentisse. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279, where it is recorded as "Willelmus Prentiz."
The Prentice surname appears in several historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which mention a "Johannes Prentys." The name is also found in the Kalendar of Abbot Sampsons Eton College from 1557, where a "William Prentice" is recorded as a scholar.
Notable individuals with the Prentice surname throughout history include:
1. Robert Prentice (c. 1500 - c. 1560), an English churchman and academic who served as the Dean of Winchester.
2. John Prentice (1587 - 1620), an English clergyman and theologian who wrote several religious works.
3. Thomas Prentice (1621 - 1673), an English Puritan minister and author of various theological treatises.
4. Ralph Prentice (1640 - 1723), a prominent English clockmaker known for his intricate and innovative timepieces.
5. William Prentice (1701 - 1768), an English writer and compiler of the "Parliamentary Register" and other historical works.
Some historical place names associated with the Prentice surname include Prentice Farm in Oxfordshire and Prentice Hill in Buckinghamshire, both of which likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing this surname in the respective areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prentice
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentice, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Prentice 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 Prentice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 6,180
- Black or African American8.5% · 649
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 335
- Two or more races4.1% · 316
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prentice
Prentice 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
#4,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,874
+75 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 293 places
2020
#4,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,631
-243 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,212 | 7,799 | 2.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,505 | 7,874 | 2.67 | +75 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 293 places |
| 2020 | #4,520 | 7,631 | 2.55 | -243 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 15 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 Prentice 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 | #4,505 | #4,520 | -0.3% |
| Count | 7,874 | 7,631 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.55 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prentice bearers went from 7,874 to 7,631 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,505 to #4,520.
FAQ
Prentice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prentice?
Name Census estimates that about 8,751 living Americans carry the surname Prentice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,167 residents.
How common is Prentice?
Prentice ranks #4,520 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,631 people with the surname Prentice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Prentice.
Has Prentice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prentice went from 7,874 recorded bearers to 7,631. That is a decrease of 243 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,505 to #4,520.
What does the Census say about the background of Prentice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentice, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Prentice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (6,180 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prentice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (8.5%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Prentice (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 Prentice mean?
An apprentice in a trade or craft, often a mason, carpenter, or other skilled worker. 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 Prentice (2.55 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 many people share the surname Prentice?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.