2000
#14,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Prins
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a prince or son of a king.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,390 Americans carry the last name Prins. That puts it at #13,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prins 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 Prins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,412
Census rank
#13,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,084 bearers of the surname Prins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prins
The surname Prins is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch word "prins" which means "prince." It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Prins surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North and South Holland, as well as in the region of Friesland. Historical records from this time period often spelled the name as "Prinse" or "Printz."
During the late Middle Ages, the Prins surname was commonly associated with individuals who held positions of authority or had close ties to nobility. This could include members of the royal court, high-ranking officials, or individuals who were in service to noble families.
One notable individual with the Prins surname was Jan Prins (1378-1449), a Dutch merchant and diplomat who served as an envoy to England during the reign of Henry V. Another prominent figure was Willem Prins (1543-1612), a Dutch theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Dutch Reformation.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Prins surname began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch settlers and traders ventured to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas and other colonies. For instance, Jacob Prins (1595-1671) was a Dutch colonist who settled in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the mid-17th century.
Throughout the following centuries, the Prins surname continued to be found across various regions of the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking areas. Notable individuals include Pieter Prins (1738-1804), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and historical scenes, and Willem Prins (1811-1888), a Dutch politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868.
In more recent history, the Prins surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, including artists, academics, and public figures. For example, the Dutch artist Marijke Prins (1955-present) is known for her abstract paintings and installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prins
Among Census respondents with the surname Prins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Prins 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 Prins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,878
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 91
- Two or more races2.5% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 24
- Black or African American1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prins
Prins 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
#14,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,102
+256 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 498 places
2020
#13,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,084
-18 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,755 | 1,846 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,257 | 2,102 | 0.71 | +256 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 498 places |
| 2020 | #13,878 | 2,084 | 0.70 | -18 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 379 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 Prins 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 | #14,257 | #13,878 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,102 | 2,084 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.70 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prins bearers went from 2,102 to 2,084 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 379 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,257 to #13,878.
FAQ
Prins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,390 living Americans carry the surname Prins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,412 residents.
How common is Prins?
Prins ranks #13,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,084 people with the surname Prins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Prins.
Has Prins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prins went from 2,102 recorded bearers to 2,084. That is a decrease of 18 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,257 to #13,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Prins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Prins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Prins (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 Prins mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a prince or son of a king. 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 Prins (0.70 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 Americans have the surname Prins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.