2000
#5,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Prichard
An occupational surname for a gravedigger, derived from the Old English "prichëard" meaning "hard digger" or "powerful digger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,012 Americans carry the last name Prichard. That puts it at #5,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prichard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Prichard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,881
Census rank
#5,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,115 bearers of the surname Prichard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prichard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prichard
The surname Prichard originated in Wales during the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Welsh personal name Rhisiart, which is a variation of the name Richard. The name Richard is derived from the Germanic elements ric, meaning "power" or "ruler," and hart, meaning "hardy" or "brave."
The surname Prichard first appeared in the records of Merionethshire, a county in northern Wales. It was initially spelled as Prytherch or Pritchard, reflecting the Welsh pronunciation of the name. Some variations include Prichart, Prichett, and Pritchett.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Richard in Shropshire, England. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Rhys Prichard was a Welsh prince and Lord of Penllyn. He played a significant role in the conflicts between the Welsh rulers and the English crown during the reign of King Edward I.
Another notable individual with this surname was Sir William Prichard (c. 1480-1542), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Anglesey during the reign of King Henry VIII. He was also a supporter of the Protestant Reformation in Wales.
In the 17th century, a Welsh clergyman named Rhys Prichard (1579-1644) was known for his translation of the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. He also served as the Vicar of Llandovery and was a leading figure in the Welsh literary renaissance.
Thomas Prichard (1768-1836) was a Welsh physician and writer who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He published several works on nervous disorders and mental health, and his work influenced the development of modern psychiatry.
Another notable bearer of this surname was James Cowles Prichard (1786-1848), an English physician, anthropologist, and ethnologist. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern anthropology and is best known for his work on the origins and distribution of human races.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the surname Prichard, which has its roots in the Welsh language and culture but has also been embraced by people of various nationalities and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prichard
Among Census respondents with the surname Prichard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Prichard 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 Prichard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 5,451
- Two or more races3.5% · 215
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 182
- Black or African American2.9% · 178
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prichard
Prichard 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
#5,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,400
+181 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 268 places
2020
#5,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,115
-285 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,170 | 6,219 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,438 | 6,400 | 2.17 | +181 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 268 places |
| 2020 | #5,490 | 6,115 | 2.05 | -285 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 52 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 Prichard 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 | #5,438 | #5,490 | -1.0% |
| Count | 6,400 | 6,115 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.05 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prichard bearers went from 6,400 to 6,115 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,438 to #5,490.
FAQ
Prichard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prichard?
Name Census estimates that about 7,012 living Americans carry the surname Prichard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,881 residents.
How common is Prichard?
Prichard ranks #5,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,115 people with the surname Prichard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,012), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Prichard.
Has Prichard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prichard went from 6,400 recorded bearers to 6,115. That is a decrease of 285 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,438 to #5,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Prichard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prichard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Prichard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (5,451 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prichard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Prichard (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 Prichard mean?
An occupational surname for a gravedigger, derived from the Old English "prichëard" meaning "hard digger" or "powerful digger." 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 Prichard (2.05 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 have the last name Prichard?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Prichard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.