The Prete surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,024 people carried this name — #24,446 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 285,700 people counted. That is down 4% from 1,068 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Prete surname
A surname originating as an occupation.
From prete (“priest”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Prete» (Italian), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 160 people named Prete.
30 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 30 départements, most often Ille-et-Vilaine.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 150 people named Prete live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
110 people named Prete live in Switzerland.
They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 33 people named Prete live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Who carried it
People named Prete,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Sesto Prete 1919–1991 · historian -
Sesto Prete 1919–1991 · historian
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Sesto Prete 1919–1991 · historian
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Antonio Prete 1939– · writer -
Serafino Prete 1911– · Catholic priest
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Serafino Prete 1911– · Catholic priest
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Prete.
- Present 269 · U.S. census
- Presson 2,271 · U.S. census
- Prest 965 · U.S. census
- Presta 579 · U.S. census
- Prestel 195 · U.S. census
- Presti 1,099 · U.S. census
- Preti 173 · U.S. census
- Preto 242 · U.S. census
- Pretto 368 · U.S. census
- Preudhomme 195 · U.S. census
- Preuss 2,492 · U.S. census
- Preve 112 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Prete is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.