The Prior surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,787 people carried this name — #5,154 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,500 people counted. That is up 4% from 6,554 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Prior surname
From Middle English Prior, Priur (surname), from Middle English prior, priour (“prior”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Prior» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 15 births for the Prior name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “10 in Cavan.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 335 people named Prior 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
156 people named Prior live in Switzerland.
They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere 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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 113 people named Prior.
46 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 21 départements, most often Aude.
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 the Nordic population registers
64 people named Prior is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Prior in American newspapers,
1901–1919.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,897,172 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Prior,
with a public archive behind them.
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Matthew Prior 1664–1721 · writer -
Thomas Prior 1680–1751 · writer -
Agnes Catherine Prior d. 1977
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Sophia Odell d. 1834
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Thomas Prior d. 1690
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Leathes Prior d. 1936
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Prior.
- Prince 47,168 · U.S. census
- Prins 2,102 · U.S. census
- Printz 1,626 · U.S. census
- Prinz 1,578 · U.S. census
- Prioleau 1,659 · U.S. census
- Priolo 878 · U.S. census
- Priore 905 · U.S. census
- Prise 178 · U.S. census
- Priser 179 · U.S. census
- Privat 252 · U.S. census
- Prive 336 · U.S. census
- Probst 6,271 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Prior 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.