2000
#1,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.03
Uncommon Last name
Pryor
An occupational surname for a prior, the monastic officer in charge of a priory in a medieval monastery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,443 Americans carry the last name Pryor. That puts it at #1,299 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pryor 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 Pryor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,259
Census rank
#1,299
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,548 bearers of the surname Pryor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1299th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pryor, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pryor
The surname PRYOR originated from Normandy, France in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "priur" meaning prior, a monastic official who ranked second in command after an abbot or abbess. The name likely referred to someone who held this position or had some association with a priory.
In England, the surname PRYOR is found in records dating back to the 12th century, soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest known bearers was William Pryor, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John le Priour in Oxfordshire.
The PRYOR surname has roots in various English counties, including Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Norfolk. It is also found in early records from Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration from England. Variations in spelling include Pryour, Pryor, Pryer, and Prior.
In the 13th century, the PRYOR surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire, referring to a Robert le Priour. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 record a John Priour in Norfolk. The name is also mentioned in the Testamenta Eboracensia, a collection of wills from the Diocese of York, dating back to the 14th century.
Notable historical figures with the PRYOR surname include Sir Robert Pryor (c.1512-1548), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1537. Arthur Pryor (1870-1942) was an American trombone soloist, bandleader, and composer known as the "Sousa of the Trombone."
Other prominent individuals with this surname were Richard Pryor (1940-2005), an influential American stand-up comedian and actor; Roger Pryor (1899-1962), an American actor and singer; and Joseph Everett Pryor (1853-1920), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pryor
Among Census respondents with the surname Pryor, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pryor 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 Pryor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 15,330
- Black or African American33.0% · 8,774
- Two or more races5.1% · 1,365
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 803
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pryor
Pryor 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
#1,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,805
+740 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 9.43
Rank movement Down 74 places
2020
#1,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,548
-1,257 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 8.88
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,189 | 27,065 | 10.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,263 | 27,805 | 9.43 | +740 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 74 places |
| 2020 | #1,299 | 26,548 | 8.88 | -1,257 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 36 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 Pryor 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 | #1,263 | #1,299 | -2.9% |
| Count | 27,805 | 26,548 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.43 | 8.88 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pryor bearers went from 27,805 to 26,548 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,263 to #1,299.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pryor
FAQ
Pryor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pryor?
Name Census estimates that about 30,443 living Americans carry the surname Pryor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,259 residents.
How common is Pryor?
Pryor ranks #1,299 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,548 people with the surname Pryor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,443), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Pryor.
Has Pryor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pryor went from 27,805 recorded bearers to 26,548. That is a decrease of 1,257 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,263 to #1,299.
What does the Census say about the background of Pryor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pryor, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Pryor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (15,330 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pryor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Black (33.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Pryor (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 Pryor mean?
An occupational surname for a prior, the monastic officer in charge of a priory in a medieval monastery. 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 Pryor (8.88 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 Pryor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.