2000
#14,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Prettyman
An English surname derived from a nickname for an attractive man or a skilled craftsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,158 Americans carry the last name Prettyman. That puts it at #15,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prettyman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prettyman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,830
Census rank
#15,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,882 bearers of the surname Prettyman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prettyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prettyman
The surname Prettyman is of English origin, with records of the name dating back to the late 16th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "prættig" meaning "tricky" or "cunning" and "mann" meaning "man". It was likely originally a descriptive nickname given to someone with a clever or cunning nature.
One of the earliest known records of the Prettyman surname is found in the parish records of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Bermondsey, London, where a Thomas Prettyman was baptized in 1594. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1597, which lists a John Prettyman.
The Prettyman name has also been recorded in various forms over the centuries, including Prettiman, Prittiman, and Prittyman. These variations suggest that the name may have originated from different regional dialects or phonetic spellings.
Notable individuals with the surname Prettyman include Sir George Prettyman (1639-1718), an English judge and Member of Parliament, and Edgar Burchenall Prettyman (1889-1953), a United States federal judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Other historical figures with the Prettyman surname include:
1. William Prettyman (1652-1711), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Dover.
2. Thomas Prettyman (1772-1856), an English clergyman and author of theological works.
3. Charles Prettyman (1798-1874), an English solicitor and Lord Mayor of London in 1863.
4. Arthur Prettyman (1826-1891), an English barrister and judge who served as a Judge of the High Court of Justice.
5. George Prettyman (1842-1920), an English architect known for his work on churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
The Prettyman surname has been found throughout various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and London. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language, reflecting the long history and evolution of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prettyman
Among Census respondents with the surname Prettyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Prettyman 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 Prettyman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 1,655
- Black or African American5.1% · 96
- Two or more races3.1% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prettyman
Prettyman 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
#15,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,930
+4 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 965 places
2020
#15,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,882
-48 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,273 | 1,926 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,238 | 1,930 | 0.65 | +4 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 965 places |
| 2020 | #15,056 | 1,882 | 0.63 | -48 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 182 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 Prettyman 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 | #15,238 | #15,056 | 1.2% |
| Count | 1,930 | 1,882 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.63 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prettyman bearers went from 1,930 to 1,882 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,238 to #15,056.
FAQ
Prettyman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prettyman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,158 living Americans carry the surname Prettyman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,830 residents.
How common is Prettyman?
Prettyman ranks #15,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,882 people with the surname Prettyman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Prettyman.
Has Prettyman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prettyman went from 1,930 recorded bearers to 1,882. That is a decrease of 48 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,238 to #15,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Prettyman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prettyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Prettyman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (1,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prettyman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Prettyman (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 Prettyman mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for an attractive man or a skilled craftsman. 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 Prettyman (0.63 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 Prettyman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.