2000
#2,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.32
Uncommon Last name
Priest
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or someone who performed religious ceremonies and rituals in a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,013 Americans carry the last name Priest. That puts it at #2,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Priest 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 Priest with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,405
Census rank
#2,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,964 bearers of the surname Priest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Priest, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Priest
The surname Priest is an English occupational surname that originated in the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word "preost", meaning a member of the clergy or a priest. The name was initially used to refer to individuals who served in a religious capacity, particularly in the Christian church.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Priest can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. The name was often spelled differently in historical records, such as "Prest" or "Preste", reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable historical reference to the name Priest can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The Hundred Rolls mention individuals with the surname Priest, indicating their presence and significance in medieval English society.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname Priest became more widespread across England, appearing in various legal documents, tax records, and parish registers. Some notable bearers of the name during this period include John Prest (c. 1370-1437), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, and William Preste (c. 1440-1504), a prominent clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Carlisle.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Priest continued to be associated with members of the clergy, as well as those who held positions of authority within the Church of England. However, it also began to be adopted by individuals with no direct connection to the clergy, reflecting the increasing secularization of surnames during this period.
Notable individuals with the surname Priest throughout history include Sir Vincent Priest (1629-1681), an English politician and member of Parliament; Josiah Priest (1778-1853), an American writer and historian known for his works on Native American history; and Henry Priest (1792-1858), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London.
While the surname Priest has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and colonial expansion. Today, the name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Priest
Among Census respondents with the surname Priest, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Priest 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 Priest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 11,822
- Black or African American6.2% · 865
- Two or more races4.3% · 603
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 483
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Priest
Priest 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
#2,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,915
+565 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.06
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,964
-951 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.67
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,309 | 14,350 | 5.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,430 | 14,915 | 5.06 | +565 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,515 | 13,964 | 4.67 | -951 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 85 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 Priest 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 | #2,430 | #2,515 | -3.5% |
| Count | 14,915 | 13,964 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.06 | 4.67 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Priest bearers went from 14,915 to 13,964 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,430 to #2,515.
FAQ
Priest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Priest?
Name Census estimates that about 16,013 living Americans carry the surname Priest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,405 residents.
How common is Priest?
Priest ranks #2,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,964 people with the surname Priest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Priest.
Has Priest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Priest went from 14,915 recorded bearers to 13,964. That is a decrease of 951 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,430 to #2,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Priest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Priest, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Priest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (11,822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Priest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Priest (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 Priest mean?
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or someone who performed religious ceremonies and rituals in a church. 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 Priest (4.67 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 Priest?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Priest on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.