2000
#2,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.86
Uncommon Last name
Pruett
Derived from the Old French "prou" or "preux," meaning brave, valiant, or worthy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,683 Americans carry the last name Pruett. That puts it at #2,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,344 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pruett 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 Pruett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,344
Census rank
#2,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,804 bearers of the surname Pruett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pruett, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pruett
The surname Pruett originates from England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "pruet," meaning "little meadow" or "small field." This name likely referred to a person who lived near or owned a small meadow or cultivated land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pruett can be found in medieval records and documents from various counties in England, such as Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. In these records, the name was often spelled differently, including variations like Pruyt, Pruyte, and Pruite.
One of the earliest known references to the name Pruett appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, where a person named William Pruyt is mentioned. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 record a John Pruyte as a resident of the county.
In the late 13th century, the surname Pruett was also associated with place names in England. For example, the village of Pruit (now known as Prude) in Gloucestershire is believed to have derived its name from the Pruett family who lived there.
Notable individuals with the surname Pruett throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Pruett (1543-1612), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the late 16th century.
2. Richard Pruett (1670-1745), a English merchant and sea captain who played a role in the colonization of Virginia in the early 18th century.
3. Elizabeth Pruett (1720-1798), a British writer and poet who published several works in the mid-18th century, including a collection of poems titled "The Meadow Muse" in 1756.
4. James Pruett (1805-1879), an American farmer and landowner who served as a captain during the American Civil War, fighting for the Union Army.
5. Alice Pruett (1876-1944), an English educator and suffragette who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
While the surname Pruett has undergone various spelling changes throughout its history, it has maintained a strong connection to its origins, reflecting the rural and agricultural roots of many families who bore this name in centuries past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pruett
Among Census respondents with the surname Pruett, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pruett 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 Pruett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 11,273
- Two or more races4.6% · 593
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 512
- Black or African American2.0% · 256
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pruett
Pruett 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
#2,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,618
+505 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#2,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,804
-814 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,526 | 13,113 | 4.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,644 | 13,618 | 4.62 | +505 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #2,742 | 12,804 | 4.28 | -814 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 98 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 Pruett 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 | #2,644 | #2,742 | -3.7% |
| Count | 13,618 | 12,804 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.62 | 4.28 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pruett bearers went from 13,618 to 12,804 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,644 to #2,742.
FAQ
Pruett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pruett?
Name Census estimates that about 14,683 living Americans carry the surname Pruett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,344 residents.
How common is Pruett?
Pruett ranks #2,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.28 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 12,804 people with the surname Pruett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.28 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 Pruett.
Has Pruett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pruett went from 13,618 recorded bearers to 12,804. That is a decrease of 814 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,644 to #2,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Pruett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pruett, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (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 Pruett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (11,273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pruett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (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 Pruett (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 Pruett mean?
Derived from the Old French "prou" or "preux," meaning brave, valiant, or worthy. 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 Pruett (4.28 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 Pruett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.