2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Priefer
A German occupational surname referring to someone who evaluated or inspected goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Priefer. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Priefer 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Priefer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Priefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Priefer
The surname Priefer is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "priefer," which means "judge" or "evaluator." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have held positions of authority or acted as arbiters in legal or administrative matters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Priefer can be found in the Bavarian town records of Regensburg, dating back to the late 15th century. These documents reference a certain Hans Priefer, a prominent citizen and landowner in the region. It is believed that the family may have originated from the nearby village of Priefering, which could also be linked to the name's etymology.
In the 16th century, the Priefer name appears in various church records and municipal registers across southern Germany, indicating a gradual spread of the family throughout the region. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Priefer (1532-1591), a respected Protestant theologian and author of several treatises on religious doctrine.
By the 17th century, the Priefer family had established itself as a respected lineage in the city of Munich. Records from this period mention a certain Bernhard Priefer (1612-1678), a wealthy merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the city's economic affairs.
As the Priefer name continued to spread across German-speaking lands, it also found its way into the artistic and intellectual circles of the 18th and 19th centuries. One notable figure was the painter and engraver Johann Christoph Priefer (1766-1837), whose works adorned numerous churches and public buildings in Bavaria.
Another prominent individual bearing the Priefer surname was the philosopher and educator Friedrich Wilhelm Priefer (1812-1892), known for his contributions to the field of educational reform and his advocacy for progressive teaching methods.
Throughout its history, the Priefer name has been associated with various professions and social strata, from scholars and artists to merchants and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Bavaria, the name has since become dispersed across German-speaking regions and beyond, carried by successive generations of Priefer families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Priefer
Among Census respondents with the surname Priefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Priefer 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 Priefer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Priefer
Priefer 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,961 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-20 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 5,961 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 17,428 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 Priefer 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 | #137,327 | #154,755 | -12.7% |
| Count | 122 | 102 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Priefer bearers went from 122 to 102 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 17,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,755.
FAQ
Priefer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Priefer?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Priefer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Priefer?
Priefer ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Priefer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Priefer.
Has Priefer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Priefer went from 122 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Priefer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Priefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Priefer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Priefer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Priefer (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 Priefer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who evaluated or inspected goods. 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 Priefer (0.03 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 Priefer?
You can see how common the surname Priefer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.