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

Preuss, 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 Preuss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Preuss in America

Preuss is the 12454th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Preuss surname appeared 2,492 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Preuss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Preuss 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 Preuss

The surname Preuss is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "pruzze," which means "Prussian" or someone from the region of Prussia. The name is believed to have originated in the areas that are now parts of modern-day Germany, Poland, Russia, and Lithuania.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Preuss can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1270. This document mentions a person named "Preussen" who was likely a resident of the region.

During the Middle Ages, the name Preuss was also associated with the Teutonic Knights, a Catholic military order that played a significant role in the Prussian Crusade and the subsequent conquest of Prussia. Some early references to the name can be found in chronicles and records related to the activities of the Teutonic Knights in the region.

In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Preuss was Johannes Preuss, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from around 1415 to 1480. He was known for his writings on metaphysics and logic.

Another prominent individual with the surname Preuss was Johann David Erdmann Preuss, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1785 to 1868. He was a prominent figure in the field of idealist philosophy and was influenced by the works of Immanuel Kant.

In the 19th century, Eduard Preuss, a German botanist and explorer, made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South America. He was born in 1834 and died in 1904.

During the same period, Hugo Preuss, a German jurist and politician, played a key role in the drafting of the Weimar Constitution, which established the German republic after World War I. He lived from 1860 to 1925.

The surname Preuss has also been associated with various place names, such as Preussisch Eylau, a town in modern-day Poland that was the site of a significant battle during the Napoleonic Wars in 1807. Additionally, there are variations of the spelling, such as Preussisch, Preussner, and Preusse, which have been documented in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Preuss

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

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

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

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