2000
#8,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Priester
An occupational surname referring to a priest or clergyman in German-speaking regions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,230 Americans carry the last name Priester. That puts it at #8,560 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Priester 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
4.2K
1 in 81,029
Census rank
#8,560
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,689 bearers of the surname Priester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8560th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Priester, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Priester
The surname Priester originated in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "priester," which means "priest." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals who served in religious orders or had close ties to the clergy.
Priester is a variant spelling of the German word "Priester," which is itself derived from the Latin word "presbyter," meaning "elder." In medieval times, the term "presbyter" was commonly used to refer to Christian priests or clergymen who held positions of authority within the church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Priester can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was in use among German-speaking populations during this period.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named Johannes Priester was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne, Germany. He was a respected cleric and scholar who played a significant role in the intellectual and religious life of the city during that time.
Another early bearer of the Priester surname was Hans Priester, a merchant and influential citizen of Nuremberg, Germany, who lived in the late 15th century. His legacy is preserved through various historical records and documents from that era.
During the 16th century, a German cartographer and mathematician named Kaspar Priester gained recognition for his contributions to the field of mapmaking. Born in 1537 and died in 1603, he is known for creating detailed maps of various regions in Europe, which were widely used in his time.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johann Priester emerged as a respected theologian and philosopher. Born in 1621 and died in 1675, he authored several influential works on religious and philosophical topics, which were widely read and studied during the Enlightenment period.
Another notable individual with the surname Priester was Friedrich Priester, a German composer and musician who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1726 and died in 1801, he composed a significant body of orchestral and chamber music, which was performed in various courts and concert halls across Europe during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Priester
Among Census respondents with the surname Priester, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Priester 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 Priester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.1% · 1,884
- Black or African American41.6% · 1,535
- Two or more races3.8% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Priester
Priester 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
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,951
+300 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#8,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,689
-262 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,339 | 3,651 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,377 | 3,951 | 1.34 | +300 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #8,560 | 3,689 | 1.23 | -262 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 183 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 Priester 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 | #8,377 | #8,560 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,951 | 3,689 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.23 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Priester bearers went from 3,951 to 3,689 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,377 to #8,560.
FAQ
Priester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Priester?
Name Census estimates that about 4,230 living Americans carry the surname Priester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,029 residents.
How common is Priester?
Priester ranks #8,560 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,689 people with the surname Priester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Priester.
Has Priester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Priester went from 3,951 recorded bearers to 3,689. That is a decrease of 262 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,377 to #8,560.
What does the Census say about the background of Priester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Priester, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Priester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.1% (1,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Priester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.1%), Black (41.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Priester (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 Priester mean?
An occupational surname referring to a priest or clergyman in German-speaking regions. 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 Priester (1.23 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 share the surname Priester?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.