2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Preo
A surname likely derived from a place name or describing a field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Preo. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Preo 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Preo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Preo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Preo
The surname Preo originated in northern Italy, likely from the region of Lombardy, during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "preò," which means "to pray" or "to supplicate." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was particularly devout or had a religious occupation, such as a priest or a monk.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Preo dates back to the 15th century, when a Francesco Preo was mentioned in a document from the city of Pavia, located in Lombardy. Another early reference can be found in the 16th century, when a Giovanni Battista Preo was recorded in the town of Bergamo, also in Lombardy.
In the 17th century, the Preo surname appeared in various parts of northern Italy, including the regions of Piedmont and Veneto. For instance, a Antonio Preo was born in Turin, Piedmont, in 1625, while a Girolamo Preo was recorded in the city of Verona, Veneto, in 1671.
During the 18th century, the name Preo spread to other areas of Italy, such as Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. One notable individual from this period was Giuseppe Preo, a scholar and writer from Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, who lived from 1736 to 1803.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Preo achieved recognition in various fields. For example, Enrico Preo (1809-1892) was a renowned painter from Milan, while Giuseppe Preo (1837-1921) was a highly regarded architect from Venice.
Throughout its history, the Preo surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, some records show variations such as Preò, Prèo, or Prèho, which may have been influenced by local dialects or spelling conventions in different regions of Italy.
While the surname Preo is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich and interesting history that spans several centuries and encompasses various regions of northern and central Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Preo
Among Census respondents with the surname Preo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Preo 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 Preo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Preo
Preo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,054 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 Preo 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 | #152,628 | #155,682 | -2.0% |
| Count | 107 | 100 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Preo bearers went from 107 to 100 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,682.
FAQ
Preo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Preo?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Preo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Preo?
Preo ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Preo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Preo.
Has Preo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Preo went from 107 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Preo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Preo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Preo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Preo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Preo (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 Preo mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or describing a field or meadow. 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 Preo (0.03 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 Preo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.