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

Preyer, 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 Preyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Preyer in America

Preyer is the 37442nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Preyer surname appeared 595 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 Preyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Preyer 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 Preyer

The surname PREYER is believed to have originated in Germany and parts of central Europe during the Middle Ages. It likely derives from the German word "preier" or "preyger," meaning a clergyman or preacher. Some scholars also suggest it could be related to the Old German "preien," meaning to praise or extol.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the PREYER surname can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a historic town in Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. These records document a family by the name of PREYER residing in the town during that time.

Another early reference to the PREYER name appears in the chronicles of the city of Nürnberg, also in Bavaria, from the late 15th century. These chronicles mention a prominent citizen named Hans PREYER, who served as a member of the city council in the year 1492.

The PREYER surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Georg Wolfgang PREYER (1623-1697), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His work, "De Principiis Naturae et Gratiae," published in 1688, was widely influential in the field of natural philosophy.

Another notable figure was Gottfried PREYER (1807-1901), a German physiologist and psychologist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the study of infant development, particularly his book "Die Seele des Kindes" (The Soul of the Child), published in 1882.

In the 19th century, the PREYER surname also gained recognition through the work of Wilhelm Thierry PREYER (1841-1897), a German chemist and physicist. He made significant contributions to the field of physical chemistry, particularly in the study of chemical equilibria and reaction kinetics.

It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the PREYER surname, such as PREIER, PREIGER, or PREYGER, can be found throughout historical records, often reflecting regional linguistic differences or scribal variations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Preyer

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

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

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

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