2000
#1,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,606
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.75
Uncommon Last name
Pritchard
Derived from the Old English elements "pricc" meaning "point" and "heard" meaning "brave" or "hardy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,930 Americans carry the last name Pritchard. That puts it at #1,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pritchard 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 Pritchard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,218
Census rank
#1,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,612 bearers of the surname Pritchard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritchard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pritchard
The surname Pritchard originates from Wales, derived from the Welsh personal name Rhirid, a combination of the elements rhi, meaning "ardor" or "enthusiasm," and rid, meaning "something that goes." It was initially an occupational surname for a person who guided travelers through difficult terrain.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 12th century. It appears in the 1292 Minister's Accounts for Pembrokeshire, where a John Prithchard is mentioned. The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as Pritchard.
In the 13th century, the name was spelled in various ways, including Prytchard, Pricherd, and Pricchard. These variations reflect the difficulties in transliterating Welsh names into English at the time.
The surname Pritchard has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir William Pritchard (c. 1260-1324), a Welsh soldier and landowner who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Sir Evan Pritchard (c. 1480-1551) was a Welsh judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a justice of the King's Bench and was known for his legal expertise.
Edward Pritchard (1648-1705) was an English politician and author who wrote several works on theology and politics during the late 17th century.
Benjamin Pritchard (1719-1781) was a British horticulturist and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology and was a pioneer in the field of photosynthesis research.
Sir John Pritchard (1899-1992) was a renowned British conductor and music director. He led several major orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and was celebrated for his interpretations of works by composers like Elgar and Vaughan Williams.
The surname Pritchard has also been associated with several place names in Wales, such as Pritchard's Pill, a small village near Newport, and Pritchard's Farm, a historic farmstead in Monmouthshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pritchard
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritchard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pritchard 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 Pritchard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 19,292
- Black or African American6.3% · 1,425
- Two or more races4.0% · 909
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 698
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pritchard
Pritchard 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
#1,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,549
-57 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 7.98
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#1,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,612
-937 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.57
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,378 | 23,606 | 8.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,523 | 23,549 | 7.98 | -57 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #1,550 | 22,612 | 7.57 | -937 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 27 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 Pritchard 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 | #1,523 | #1,550 | -1.8% |
| Count | 23,549 | 22,612 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.98 | 7.57 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pritchard bearers went from 23,549 to 22,612 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,523 to #1,550.
FAQ
Pritchard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pritchard?
Name Census estimates that about 25,930 living Americans carry the surname Pritchard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,218 residents.
How common is Pritchard?
Pritchard ranks #1,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,612 people with the surname Pritchard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Pritchard.
Has Pritchard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pritchard went from 23,549 recorded bearers to 22,612. That is a decrease of 937 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,523 to #1,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Pritchard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritchard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pritchard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (19,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pritchard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Pritchard (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 Pritchard mean?
Derived from the Old English elements "pricc" meaning "point" and "heard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." 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 Pritchard (7.57 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 last name Pritchard?
Find out how many people have the last name Pritchard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.