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

Prewett, 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 Prewett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prewett in America

Prewett is the 17258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prewett surname appeared 1,641 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 Prewett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prewett 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 Prewett

The surname Prewett is of English origin, first recorded in the 13th century in the county of Somerset. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "preau" and "hwitt," meaning "pear tree" and "white" respectively, suggesting it may have initially referred to someone who lived near a pale or light-colored pear tree.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Robert Prewhit." This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time, with the transition from "Prewhit" to "Prewett" likely occurring in the 14th or 15th century.

During the Tudor period, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Prewett (c. 1470-1537), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Bridgwater in 1529 and played a role in the local administration of the county.

In the 17th century, the Prewett family established themselves in the parish of Uffculme, Devon. Here, they were prominent landowners and benefactors to the local church. One notable figure was John Prewett (1630-1704), who served as the High Sheriff of Devon in 1690.

Another significant individual from this lineage was Thomas Prewett (1678-1754), a wealthy merchant and shipowner based in Bristol. His maritime ventures contributed to the city's prosperity during the Golden Age of Atlantic Trade.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Prewett gained recognition in the literary world through the works of author and journalist William Prewett (1819-1893). Born in Devonshire, he was a prolific writer and editor, contributing to various publications and penning several novels.

While the Prewett surname may have originated from a descriptive phrase, it has since become a distinct English surname with a rich history spanning several centuries. Its bearers have left their mark in various fields, from politics and administration to commerce and literature, ensuring the name's enduring legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prewett

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

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

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

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