2000
#12,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Prentiss
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "aprentis," meaning an apprentice learning a trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,467 Americans carry the last name Prentiss. That puts it at #13,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prentiss 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
2.5K
1 in 138,936
Census rank
#13,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,151 bearers of the surname Prentiss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prentiss
The surname Prentiss is an English habitational name derived from places in Suffolk and Essex, England. Originally spelled Prentiz, it comes from the Old English word "prentis" meaning an apprentice or learner. The name emerged as a surname in the 13th century, likely referring to someone who worked as an apprentice.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as Prentiz, Prentelest, and Prentelai, referring to various places and manors in Suffolk and Essex. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Robert Prentiz in 1273 from Essex and William Prentiz from Suffolk in 1327.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was John Prentis (c. 1620-1673), an early settler in New England and one of the founders of Roxbury, Massachusetts. Another early bearer was Robert Prentiss (1619-1679), who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, and served as a representative in the General Court of Massachusetts.
In the 17th century, the name also appears as Prentice, Prentis, and Prentiss, with variations in spelling common during that time. One notable figure was Seaborn Prentiss (1808-1850), a lawyer and politician from Mississippi who served as a United States Senator and was considered a gifted orator.
Other notable individuals with the surname include Sergeant Prentiss (1619-1674), an early settler of Newton, Massachusetts, and William Prentiss (1642-1691), a minister and author in New England. In more recent times, Prentiss Mellen (1764-1840) was a politician and jurist from Massachusetts, serving as the fourth Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Overall, the surname Prentiss has a long history dating back to medieval England, with its roots in the Old English word for an apprentice or learner. While originally concentrated in Suffolk and Essex, the name eventually spread to other parts of England and later to the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prentiss
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Prentiss 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 Prentiss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 1,609
- Black or African American13.9% · 300
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 93
- Two or more races3.8% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prentiss
Prentiss 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
#13,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,347
+76 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 570 places
2020
#13,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,151
-196 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 433 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,511 | 2,271 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,081 | 2,347 | 0.80 | +76 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 570 places |
| 2020 | #13,514 | 2,151 | 0.72 | -196 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 433 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 Prentiss 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 | #13,081 | #13,514 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,347 | 2,151 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.72 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prentiss bearers went from 2,347 to 2,151 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 433 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,081 to #13,514.
FAQ
Prentiss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prentiss?
Name Census estimates that about 2,467 living Americans carry the surname Prentiss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,936 residents.
How common is Prentiss?
Prentiss ranks #13,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,151 people with the surname Prentiss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Prentiss.
Has Prentiss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prentiss went from 2,347 recorded bearers to 2,151. That is a decrease of 196 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,081 to #13,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Prentiss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prentiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Prentiss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (1,609 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prentiss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (13.9%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Prentiss (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 Prentiss mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "aprentis," meaning an apprentice learning a trade. 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 Prentiss (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Prentiss?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.