Presa last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Presa

A Spanish surname originally referring to someone who worked at a dam or reservoir.

Presa, 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 Presa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Presa in America

Presa is the 39004th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Presa surname appeared 565 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 Presa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Presa 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 39004 60230 -42.78%
Count 565 313 57.40%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.12 45.16%

The history of the last name Presa

The surname Presa is of Italian origin, originating in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto in northern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "prehensa," meaning "to seize" or "to grasp," which may have been used to describe an occupation or a characteristic of the family's ancestors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Presa can be traced back to the 13th century, when a man named Giovanni Presa was mentioned in a document from the city of Verona. In the 14th century, the name appeared in several records from the Venetian Republic, suggesting that the family may have been involved in trade or maritime activities.

In the 15th century, a prominent figure with the surname Presa was Bartolomeo Presa, a renowned painter and architect from Pavia. His works can still be admired in various churches and buildings throughout northern Italy.

During the Renaissance period, the Presa family produced several notable scholars and intellectuals. One such figure was Antonio Presa (1480-1554), a humanist and philosopher from Verona who taught at various universities in Italy and wrote several treatises on rhetoric and logic.

Another individual of note was Girolamo Presa (1525-1592), a lawyer and legal scholar from Milan who served as a judge and advisor to several Italian noble families. His writings on civil law and legal procedures were widely respected during his time.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Presa family migrated to the Kingdom of Naples, where they established themselves as landowners and vintners. One member of this lineage, Vincenzo Presa (1620-1687), was known for his exceptional winemaking skills and became a renowned producer of Lacryma Christi, a famous Italian wine from the region.

Throughout the centuries, the Presa surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, scholars, lawyers, and merchants, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of this family to Italian history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Presa

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

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 Presa was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 9.56% 54
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 15.40% 87
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 73.81% 417

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 Presa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 9.56% 16.93% -55.64%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 15.40% 16.29% -5.62%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 73.81% 66.13% 10.98%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Presa last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/presa-surname-popularity/.

"Presa last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/presa-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Presa last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/presa-surname-popularity/.

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