2000
#2,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Pringle
Scottish and northern English topographic surname for someone who lived near a round hill or someone from Pringle, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,256 Americans carry the last name Pringle. That puts it at #2,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pringle 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 Pringle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,043
Census rank
#2,819
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,432 bearers of the surname Pringle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pringle, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pringle
The surname PRINGLE originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'pringel', meaning a small enclosure or a valley, and the Scottish place name Pringilhaugh, located near Eddleston in Peeblesshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PRINGLE dates back to 1159, when Robert de Pringill witnessed a charter by King Malcolm IV. Another early reference can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list a Henry de Pringgill from Roxburghshire.
The PRINGLE family is believed to have originated from the lands of Pringilhaugh, which they held as vassals of the Earls of Dunbar. In the 14th century, Robert Pringle of Pilmuir is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, and later records show the Pringles as landowners in various parts of the Scottish Borders.
Among notable historical figures bearing the PRINGLE surname are Sir Robert Pringle (1690-1736), a Scottish lawyer and Member of Parliament, and Sir John Pringle (1707-1782), a renowned Scottish physician and President of the Royal Society.
Other prominent individuals with the PRINGLE surname include:
1. Thomas Pringle (1789-1834), a Scottish writer and abolitionist who settled in South Africa.
2. James Pringle (1769-1805), a Scottish naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary Wars.
3. Andrew Pringle (1772-1857), a Scottish soldier and Lieutenant-Governor of the British Windward Islands.
4. Walter Pringle (1888-1971), a Scottish professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1914.
5. John Pringle (1857-1925), a Scottish-born Australian politician and Premier of Western Australia.
The PRINGLE name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Pringle Bank, Pringle Cottage, and Pringle's Bush, reflecting the family's historical ties to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pringle
Among Census respondents with the surname Pringle, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pringle 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 Pringle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.6% · 6,537
- Black or African American38.0% · 4,724
- Two or more races4.3% · 538
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 487
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pringle
Pringle 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
#2,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,115
+655 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.45
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#2,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,432
-683 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,664 | 12,460 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,750 | 13,115 | 4.45 | +655 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #2,819 | 12,432 | 4.16 | -683 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 69 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 Pringle 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 | #2,750 | #2,819 | -2.5% |
| Count | 13,115 | 12,432 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.45 | 4.16 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pringle bearers went from 13,115 to 12,432 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,750 to #2,819.
FAQ
Pringle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pringle?
Name Census estimates that about 14,256 living Americans carry the surname Pringle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,043 residents.
How common is Pringle?
Pringle ranks #2,819 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,432 people with the surname Pringle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Pringle.
Has Pringle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pringle went from 13,115 recorded bearers to 12,432. That is a decrease of 683 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,750 to #2,819.
What does the Census say about the background of Pringle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pringle, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Pringle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (6,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pringle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.6%), Black (38.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Pringle (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 Pringle mean?
Scottish and northern English topographic surname for someone who lived near a round hill or someone from Pringle, Scotland. 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 Pringle (4.16 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 common is the surname Pringle?
See how common the surname Pringle is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.