2000
#10,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,866
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Pritt
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "trick" or "prank," likely referring to a trickster or prankster.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,299 Americans carry the last name Pritt. That puts it at #10,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pritt 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 Pritt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,896
Census rank
#10,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,877 bearers of the surname Pritt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pritt
The surname Pritt is of English origin, originating in the 14th century from the Middle English word "pret" or "prett", meaning "trick" or "prank". It was likely initially a nickname bestowed upon someone known for their mischievous or playful behavior.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pritt surname can be found in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a certain John Pret is mentioned. The name also appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1348, referencing a William Prett.
During the late medieval period, the surname Pritt was predominantly found in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Nottinghamshire, with some variations in spelling, including Prette, Pritte, and Prytte.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Pritt surname was Sir Edward Pritt (1520-1589), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Pritt family established a strong presence in the village of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, where several members of the family held influential positions within the local community. John Pritt (1635-1702) was a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as a Bailiff of Wakefield.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several distinguished individuals with the Pritt surname, including Thomas Pritt (1758-1828), a renowned English poet and author who wrote extensively on topics ranging from agriculture to philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Pritt family continued to flourish, with James Pritt (1823-1891) becoming a highly respected lawyer and judge in London. His son, William Pritt (1859-1936), followed in his father's footsteps and had a successful career as a barrister and politician, serving as a Member of Parliament for Hampstead.
Another notable figure from this period was Mary Pritt (1835-1912), a pioneering English educator and advocate for women's rights, who established one of the first girls' schools in London.
The 20th century saw the rise of several prominent figures with the Pritt surname, including the esteemed British lawyer and politician, Denis Nowell Pritt (1887-1972), who was a vocal advocate for civil liberties and served as a Member of Parliament for Hammersmith North.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pritt
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pritt 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 Pritt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,695
- Two or more races3.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pritt
Pritt 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
#10,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,223
+357 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 302 places
2020
#10,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,877
-346 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,303 | 2,866 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,001 | 3,223 | 1.09 | +357 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 302 places |
| 2020 | #10,618 | 2,877 | 0.96 | -346 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 617 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 Pritt 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 | #10,001 | #10,618 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,223 | 2,877 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.96 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pritt bearers went from 3,223 to 2,877 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 617 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,001 to #10,618.
FAQ
Pritt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pritt?
Name Census estimates that about 3,299 living Americans carry the surname Pritt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,896 residents.
How common is Pritt?
Pritt ranks #10,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,877 people with the surname Pritt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,299), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Pritt.
Has Pritt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pritt went from 3,223 recorded bearers to 2,877. That is a decrease of 346 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,001 to #10,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Pritt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pritt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pritt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pritt (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 Pritt mean?
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "trick" or "prank," likely referring to a trickster or prankster. 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 Pritt (0.96 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 Pritt?
See how many Americans have the surname Pritt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.