2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Prewit
Of British origin, a variant spelling of "Prewitt" denoting someone who was prudent or discreet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Prewit. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prewit 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Prewit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prewit, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prewit
The surname Prewit is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "preost" and "wudu," which together mean "priest's wood." This suggests that the name likely referred to a specific area or settlement where a priest resided near a wooded area.
In the early 13th century, a record in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire mentions a "William de Prestwode," which is one of the earliest known references to this surname. This variation in spelling highlights the evolving nature of surnames during that era, as they were often adapted based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.
The Prewit surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It appears as "Prestwode," further reinforcing its connection to the Old English words for "priest's wood."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Prewit was Sir John Prewit, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was William Prewit, born in 1521, who served as a magistrate in Wiltshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Prewit surname gained prominence with the birth of Robert Prewit (1624-1701), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His son, Samuel Prewit (1660-1724), followed in his father's footsteps and became a respected lawyer and judge.
The surname Prewit is also associated with several place names in England, such as Prewit's Hill in Gloucestershire and Prewit's Meadow in Hampshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the historical presence and influence of Prewit families in those areas.
Throughout history, the Prewit surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Prewitt, Prewett, Pruett, and Pruit, among others. These variations often resulted from regional accents, linguistic adaptations, and transcription errors in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prewit
Among Census respondents with the surname Prewit, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Prewit 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 Prewit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prewit
Prewit 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,183 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-15 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 9,183 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 15,291 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 Prewit 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 | #126,018 | #141,309 | -12.1% |
| Count | 136 | 121 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prewit bearers went from 136 to 121 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 15,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #141,309.
FAQ
Prewit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prewit?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Prewit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Prewit?
Prewit ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Prewit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Prewit.
Has Prewit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prewit went from 136 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Prewit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prewit, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Prewit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prewit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Prewit (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 Prewit mean?
Of British origin, a variant spelling of "Prewitt" denoting someone who was prudent or discreet. 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 Prewit (0.04 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 people are called Prewit?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Prewit is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.