Prill last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Prill

A surname deriving from the Germanic word meaning "brave" or "bold."

Prill, 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 Prill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prill in America

Prill is the 17047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prill surname appeared 1,666 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Prill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prill 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 17047 15790 7.66%
Count 1,666 1,694 -1.67%
Proportion per 100k 0.56 0.63 -11.76%

The history of the last name Prill

The surname Prill is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "prill," which means a small glass bead or a spherical object. This name was likely initially used as an occupational surname for someone who worked in the glass-making industry, particularly in the production of glass beads or other decorative glass objects.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest known references to the name Prill can be found in the records of the town of Nuremberg from the late 16th century, where it was spelled "Pril" or "Prill."

The name Prill gained prominence in the 17th century, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johannes Prill (1605-1678), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his religious and allegorical works. Another notable figure was Christian Prill (1658-1726), a German composer and organist from Saxony.

During the 18th century, the Prill surname continued to appear in various German records and documents. In 1748, a man named Johann Michael Prill (1718-1782) was born in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria. He later became a renowned philosopher and theologian, authoring several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.

As the 19th century dawned, the Prill name spread beyond Germany's borders. In 1812, a man named Friedrich Prill (1787-1859) was born in Saxony. He later emigrated to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania, and became one of the earliest recorded Prills in America.

Another notable figure from this time period was the German composer and pianist Carl Ferdinand Prill (1849-1923). Born in Berlin, he was widely acclaimed for his piano compositions and served as a professor at the Leipzig Conservatory for many years.

While the Prill surname remains relatively uncommon, it has left a lasting mark throughout history, particularly in Germany and the United States, where it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, scholars, and entrepreneurs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prill

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

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 Prill was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.00% 1,566
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.66% 11
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.72% 12
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.30% 5
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.98% 33
Hispanic Origin 2.34% 39

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 Prill has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.00% 94.33% -0.35%
Black 0.66% 1.36% -69.31%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.72% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.30% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.98% 1.30% 41.46%
Hispanic 2.34% 2.07% 12.24%

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 Prill was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Prill last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 18, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/prill-surname-popularity/.

"Prill last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/prill-surname-popularity/. Accessed 18 November, 2024

Prill last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/prill-surname-popularity/.

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