2000
#2,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.48
Uncommon Last name
Prieto
A Spanish surname referring to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,430 Americans carry the last name Prieto. That puts it at #1,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prieto 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 Prieto with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,281
Census rank
#1,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,560 bearers of the surname Prieto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prieto
The surname Prieto is of Spanish origin, derived from the adjective 'prieto' meaning 'dark' or 'swarthy'. This name likely originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Prieto can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript detailing the hunting exploits of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a certain Pedro Prieto, a nobleman from the region of León.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records from the Kingdom of Aragon, such as the census of Valencia from 1489, which listed several Prieto families. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Prieto' or 'Prieto'.
The surname Prieto may have also been derived from certain place names or locations within Spain, such as the village of Prieto in the province of Soria, or the municipality of Prieto in Asturias. These place names likely originated from the Spanish word 'prieto', referring to the dark or swarthy complexion of the inhabitants.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Prieto was Juan Prieto de la Cerda (c. 1460-1522), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served under the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquista and the conquest of Granada.
Another notable figure was Melchor Prieto (c. 1516-1596), a Spanish poet and humanist who played a significant role in the literary circles of the Spanish Renaissance.
In the 17th century, Antonio Prieto (1608-1667) was a Spanish painter renowned for his religious works, particularly those depicting the Virgin Mary and various saints.
During the 18th century, José Prieto (1730-1798) was a prominent Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Church of San Marcos and the Palacio de Liria.
In the 19th century, Tomás Prieto (1808-1885) was a Chilean politician and writer who served as the President of Chile from 1831 to 1841.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prieto
Among Census respondents with the surname Prieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Prieto 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 Prieto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 17,599
- White6.9% · 1,357
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 306
- Black or African American0.6% · 118
- Two or more races0.5% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prieto
Prieto 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
#1,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,520
+4,734 bearers (+32.0%)
Per 100,000 6.62
Rank movement Up 426 places
2020
#1,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,560
+40 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 6.54
Rank movement Up 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,259 | 14,786 | 5.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,833 | 19,520 | 6.62 | +4,734 bearers (+32.0%) | Up 426 places |
| 2020 | #1,791 | 19,560 | 6.54 | +40 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 42 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 Prieto 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 | #1,833 | #1,791 | 2.3% |
| Count | 19,520 | 19,560 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.62 | 6.54 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prieto bearers went from 19,520 to 19,560 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,833 to #1,791.
FAQ
Prieto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prieto?
Name Census estimates that about 22,430 living Americans carry the surname Prieto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,281 residents.
How common is Prieto?
Prieto ranks #1,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,560 people with the surname Prieto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Prieto.
Has Prieto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prieto went from 19,520 recorded bearers to 19,560. That is an increase of 40 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,833 to #1,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Prieto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Prieto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (17,599 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prieto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), White (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Prieto (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 Prieto mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion. 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 Prieto (6.54 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 Prieto?
Find out how many people have the last name Prieto on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.