2000
#8,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Prine
Derived from a medieval English occupational name for a priest or someone who worked in a priest's house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,860 Americans carry the last name Prine. That puts it at #9,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prine 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 Prine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,796
Census rank
#9,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,366 bearers of the surname Prine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prine, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prine
The surname PRINE is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pryne," meaning a thorn or thornbush. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a thorny bush or who worked with thorns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PRINE can be found in the Worcestershire Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it appears as "Pryne." This suggests that the name was already established in the West Midlands region of England by the 14th century.
The name PRINE has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Preen in Shropshire and Pridden in Herefordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the surname PRINE. However, the book does include references to places with similar names, such as "Prendun" and "Prenhull," which could be related to the origin of the PRINE surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname PRINE was John Pryne, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1380. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Prine, born in 1560 in Warwickshire, who was a renowned herbalist and botanist.
In the 17th century, the PRINE surname gained prominence with the birth of John Prine (1639-1719), an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the concept of free will. His works, such as "An Essay on the Freedom of Will in God and Creatures," were widely influential during his time.
Another individual of note was William Prine (1720-1788), a British explorer and navigator who sailed the Pacific Ocean and documented his travels in the book "A Voyage to the South Seas." His accounts provided valuable insights into the cultures and landscapes of the regions he visited.
In the 19th century, the PRINE surname gained literary recognition with the poet and novelist Mary Prine (1835-1901), whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life. Her collection of poems, "Songs of the Countryside," was widely acclaimed during the Victorian era.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of John Prine (1946-2020), an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. His poetic and often humorous lyrics, combined with his distinctive voice, made him a beloved figure in the folk and Americana music scenes. Songs like "Angel from Montgomery" and "Paradise" became classics, earning him numerous accolades, including induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prine
Among Census respondents with the surname Prine, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Prine 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 Prine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,049
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 133
- Two or more races2.9% · 96
- Black or African American0.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prine
Prine 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
#8,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,786
+315 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 33 places
2020
#9,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,366
-420 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,712 | 3,471 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,679 | 3,786 | 1.28 | +315 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 33 places |
| 2020 | #9,277 | 3,366 | 1.13 | -420 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 598 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 Prine 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 | #8,679 | #9,277 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,786 | 3,366 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.13 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prine bearers went from 3,786 to 3,366 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 598 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,679 to #9,277.
FAQ
Prine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prine?
Name Census estimates that about 3,860 living Americans carry the surname Prine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,796 residents.
How common is Prine?
Prine ranks #9,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,366 people with the surname Prine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Prine.
Has Prine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prine went from 3,786 recorded bearers to 3,366. That is a decrease of 420 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,679 to #9,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Prine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prine, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Prine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Prine (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 Prine mean?
Derived from a medieval English occupational name for a priest or someone who worked in a priest's house. 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 Prine (1.13 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 surname Prine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.