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

Price, 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 Price surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Price in America

Price is the 91st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Price surname appeared 235,251 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 80 people would have the surname Price.

We can also compare 2010 data for Price 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 Price

The surname PRICE is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "pris" or "prys," meaning "prize" or "reward." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a prize officer or someone who acted as a valuer or assessor.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname PRICE can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert le Pris, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1238. Another early example is William le Prys, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

The PRICE surname is found in various historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "le Pris" and "le Prys." It is also recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where it is spelled "Pryse."

In the 14th century, the surname PRICE began to appear in its modern spelling. One of the earliest instances of this was John Price, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317.

Over the centuries, the PRICE surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Sir John Prise (c. 1501-1555), a Welsh politician and historian who served as Secretary to the Council of the Marches of Wales under King Henry VIII. Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Price (c. 1518-1582), a Welsh Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Richard Price (1623-1691) was a prominent English philosopher and theologian who served as a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. His work, "A Treatise on Moral Evil," published in 1678, was influential in the development of moral philosophy.

The PRICE surname was also associated with some important figures in the American colonies. One such individual was Ezekiel Price (c. 1730-1790), a Baptist minister and writer who founded the First Baptist Church of Boston in 1765.

Another notable bearer of the PRICE surname was Richard Price (1723-1791), a Welsh moral philosopher and nonconformist preacher who advocated for American independence and was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Throughout history, the PRICE surname has been connected to various place names, such as Price's Hill in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Priceleys in Shropshire, England, which was once known as "Preseles" or "Priseles."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Price

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

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

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

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