Find out how popular the last name Prifti is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Prifti.

Prifti, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Prifti surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prifti in America

Prifti is the 42163rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prifti surname appeared 515 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Prifti.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prifti to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Prifti

The surname "PRIFTI" is of Albanian origin and can be traced back to the early 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Albanian word "prift" meaning "priest" or "cleric". This suggests that the name may have been initially adopted by individuals who served in the clergy or had close ties to the church.

During the Ottoman rule in the Balkans, many Albanians embraced Islam, while others retained their Christian faith. It is likely that the surname PRIFTI was associated with those who maintained their Christian beliefs and continued to serve as priests within the Albanian Orthodox or Catholic communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PRIFTI can be found in the historical archives of the Archbishopric of Skopje, dating back to the late 16th century. This document mentions a certain "Gjergj PRIFTI", who was a prominent figure in the Albanian Orthodox community of the region.

In the 17th century, the PRIFTI surname appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Arberesh communities in southern Italy. These were Albanian communities that had migrated from the Balkans to Italy, fleeing Ottoman oppression. The surname is found in church records and legal documents from towns like Piana degli Albanesi in Sicily.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the PRIFTI surname emerged. One such figure was Teodor PRIFTI (1757-1828), a renowned Albanian scholar and writer who played a significant role in the development of the Albanian language and literature during the Rilindja (Albanian Renaissance) period.

Another prominent figure was Jeronim PRIFTI (1806-1871), an Albanian Catholic priest and linguist who contributed to the standardization of the Albanian alphabet and the translation of religious texts into the Albanian language.

In the 20th century, the PRIFTI surname gained further recognition with individuals like Mithat PRIFTI (1901-1961), an Albanian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1946.

Additionally, Nexhat PRIFTI (1923-2008) was an Albanian-American historian and author who wrote extensively on the history and politics of the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname PRIFTI who have left their mark on history. The name continues to be widely used among Albanian communities, particularly those with ties to the Christian faith and its religious traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prifti

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Prifti.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Prifti was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Prifti has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Prifti was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Prifti, please contact us.

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