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

Pretlow, 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 Pretlow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pretlow in America

Pretlow is the 41886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pretlow surname appeared 519 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 Pretlow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pretlow 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 Pretlow

The surname Pretlow originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "pret" meaning trick or deceit, and "low" meaning hill or mound. This suggests the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near a tricky or deceptive hill.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Pretlow can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robertus de Pretlowe is listed. This indicates the name was already established in the northern county of Yorkshire by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Prettelowe, Prettelow, and Prettelugh in various records from counties like Lincolnshire and Norfolk. These variations suggest the name may have originated from or had connections to these regions of eastern England.

The Pretlow surname is also linked to the village of Pretlow in Norfolk, which likely took its name from an early bearer of the surname. Records show a William de Pretlow held lands in the village in the early 13th century.

Notable individuals with the Pretlow surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Pretlow (c. 1480 - 1558), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1554.

2. Robert Pretlow (c. 1620 - 1667), an English colonist who settled in Virginia and became a prominent landowner and member of the House of Burgesses.

3. Mary Pretlow (c. 1630 - 1685), wife of Robert Pretlow and one of the first English women to settle in Virginia.

4. Colonel Henry Pretlow (c. 1680 - 1739), a wealthy planter and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

5. Reverend John Pretlow (1717 - 1793), an Anglican clergyman and rector of several parishes in Virginia.

While the Pretlow surname may have originated from a descriptive place name, it has been carried by numerous individuals throughout English and American history, particularly in the colonial era of Virginia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pretlow

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

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

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

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