2000
#4,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Prior
An occupational surname referring to a monastic official in charge of a priory or a chief steward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,463 Americans carry the last name Prior. That puts it at #5,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prior 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 Prior with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,927
Census rank
#5,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,508 bearers of the surname Prior in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prior, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prior
The surname PRIOR is an occupational name of English origin, derived from the Old French word "priour" meaning a monastic superior or the head of a priory. This name emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th-13th century.
The name PRIOR was initially associated with individuals who held the position of a prior or the head of a religious house or monastery. It was a title given to those who oversaw the daily operations and spiritual guidance of a priory, which was a smaller monastic community subordinate to an abbey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PRIOR can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a medieval census conducted in 1279. This document mentions a John le Priour, indicating the use of the name as an occupational identifier.
Another notable reference is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records a landholder named Robertus Prior in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name PRIOR may have been in use even before the 12th century, possibly as a descriptive term for individuals associated with monastic life.
During the 13th century, the surname PRIOR appears in various records, including the Curia Regis Rolls of 1221, where a Richard le Priur is mentioned. This roll documented legal proceedings in the royal court of King Henry III.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname PRIOR was William Prior (c. 1390-1446), an English monk and religious reformer. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Bridgettine Order in England and was instrumental in founding the Syon Abbey in Middlesex.
Another notable figure was Matthew Prior (1664-1721), an English poet and diplomat. He served as an ambassador to France and is best known for his poetic works, including "An Ode to the Queen" and "Solomon on the Vanity of the World."
In the 18th century, Thomas Prior (1679-1751) was an influential English Jesuit and philosopher. He made contributions to the field of logic and wrote several philosophical treatises, including "A Specimen of True Philosophy" and "An Authentic Narrative of the Dissensions in the Church of the English Catholicks."
Moving forward, James Prior (1790-1869) was a British architect and engineer who played a significant role in the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Camberwell Green Church and the Hungerford Bridge in London.
Lastly, Matthew Prior Jr. (1808-1873), the grandson of the poet Matthew Prior, was a notable English novelist and playwright. He authored several works, including the novel "The Wanderer" and the play "The Life of Edmund Kean."
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname PRIOR, reflecting its historical ties to monastic life and the religious orders of the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prior
Among Census respondents with the surname Prior, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Prior 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 Prior surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 5,510
- Black or African American5.6% · 365
- Two or more races4.3% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 257
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prior
Prior 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
#5,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,787
+233 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#5,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,508
-279 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,926 | 6,554 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,154 | 6,787 | 2.30 | +233 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #5,186 | 6,508 | 2.18 | -279 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 32 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 Prior 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 | #5,154 | #5,186 | -0.6% |
| Count | 6,787 | 6,508 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.18 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prior bearers went from 6,787 to 6,508 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,154 to #5,186.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Prior
FAQ
Prior surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prior?
Name Census estimates that about 7,463 living Americans carry the surname Prior. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,927 residents.
How common is Prior?
Prior ranks #5,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,508 people with the surname Prior. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Prior.
Has Prior become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prior went from 6,787 recorded bearers to 6,508. That is a decrease of 279 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,154 to #5,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Prior?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prior, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) 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 Prior in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (5,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prior appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (5.6%), 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 Prior (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 Prior mean?
An occupational surname referring to a monastic official in charge of a priory or a chief steward. 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 Prior (2.18 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 share the surname Prior?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.