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

Pretorius, 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 Pretorius surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pretorius in America

Pretorius is the 50851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pretorius surname appeared 410 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 Pretorius.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pretorius 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 Pretorius

The surname Pretorius is of Dutch origin and dates back to the 17th century. It originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the province of South Holland. The name is derived from the Latin word "praetor," which means "leader" or "commander."

Pretorius was a common surname among the Dutch settlers who arrived in South Africa during the 17th and 18th centuries. These settlers, known as the Voortrekkers, established settlements in the interior regions of South Africa, and the name Pretorius became closely associated with the Afrikaner culture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pretorius can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, dating back to the late 17th century. The name was also present in the Cape Colony, as evidenced by the presence of individuals with the surname Pretorius in various historical documents from that time period.

Andries Pretorius (1798-1853) was a prominent Boer leader and military commander who played a significant role in the Great Trek, a mass migration of Dutch-speaking settlers from the British-controlled Cape Colony into the interior of South Africa. He led the Voortrekkers to victory against the Zulu forces at the Battle of Blood River in 1838, which is considered a pivotal moment in the history of the Afrikaner people.

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (1819-1901) was the first president of the South African Republic (also known as the Transvaal Republic) from 1857 to 1860 and again from 1870 to 1871. He was a key figure in the establishment of the Boer republic and played a significant role in the region's political and military struggles against the British.

Petrus Jacobus Joubert (1834-1900), a Boer military leader and statesman, was married to Catharina Pretorius, the daughter of Andries Pretorius. He served as the Commandant-General of the South African Republic and played a prominent role in the First Boer War (1880-1881) and the Second Boer War (1899-1902).

Willem Pretorius (1818-1882) was a Voortrekker leader and the founder of the town of Potchefstroom in South Africa. He was also a prominent figure in the establishment of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic) and served as its vice-president from 1860 to 1863.

Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr (1845-1909), a prominent South African politician and journalist, was born with the surname Pretorius but later changed it to Hofmeyr. He played a significant role in the political affairs of the Cape Colony and was a leading figure in the Afrikaner Bond, a political organization that aimed to promote the interests of the Afrikaner community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pretorius

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

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

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

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