NameCensus.

UK surname

Prust

A surname derived from the German word 'prust', meaning proud or arrogant.

In the 1881 census there were 240 people recorded with the Prust surname, ranking it #11,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 141, ranked #24,753, down from #11,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bideford and Cheltenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Leeds and North Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Prust is 364 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 41.3%.

1881 census count

240

Ranked #11,410

Modern count

141

2016, ranked #24,753

Peak year

1911

364 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Prust had 240 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016, ranked #24,753.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 364 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Prust surname distribution map

The map shows where the Prust surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Prust surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Prust over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 186 #11,024
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 240 #11,410
1891 historical 283 #11,573
1901 historical 276 #12,315
1911 historical 364 #9,985
1997 modern 159 #20,339
1998 modern 162 #20,673
1999 modern 174 #19,870
2000 modern 168 #20,252
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 159 #21,086
2003 modern 164 #20,483
2004 modern 166 #20,441
2005 modern 162 #20,716
2006 modern 159 #21,148
2007 modern 157 #21,546
2008 modern 155 #21,956
2009 modern 152 #22,716
2010 modern 161 #22,385
2011 modern 155 #22,790
2012 modern 143 #24,019
2013 modern 150 #23,653
2014 modern 151 #23,745
2015 modern 148 #23,934
2016 modern 141 #24,753

Geography

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Where Prusts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bideford, Cheltenham, Hartland and Swansea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Leeds, North Devon and Southend-on-Sea. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Bideford Devon
3 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
4 Hartland Devon
5 Swansea Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 001 Powys
2 Leeds 078 Leeds
3 North Devon 002 North Devon
4 Leeds 061 Leeds
5 Southend-on-Sea 007 Southend-on-Sea

Forenames

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First names often paired with Prust

These lists show first names that appear often with the Prust surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Prust

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Prust, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Prust surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Prust household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Prust is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Prust is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Prust falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Prust is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Prust, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Prust

The surname Prust is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the German word "prust," which means "to cough" or "to sneeze." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for someone who frequently coughed or sneezed.

One of the earliest known references to the name Prust can be found in the Liber Census Daniæ, a medieval census record from Denmark, which dates back to the 13th century. The name is recorded as "Prust" in this document, indicating that it had already been established as a surname by that time.

In the 14th century, a man named Johannes Prust was mentioned in the Stadtbuch von Lübeck, a historical record of the city of Lübeck in northern Germany. This provides evidence that the name was present in the region during that era.

The Prust surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Prust (1592-1661), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

Another prominent figure was Friedrich Prust (1836-1917), a German architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Berlin during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Elise Prust (1903-1985) was a German actress and film director who gained recognition for her work in the German cinema industry during the 1930s and 1940s.

In England, the name Prust can be traced back to the 16th century, where it appeared as a variation of the surname "Priest." One example is William Prust, a merchant who was recorded in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1578.

The Prust surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Europe. For instance, there is a village called Prust in the Czech Republic, and a region known as Prusten in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Overall, the surname Prust has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be found in various countries across Europe. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it likely started as a nickname before evolving into a hereditary surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Prust families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Prust surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 69 Prusts recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.40x.

County Total Index
Devon 69 14.40x
Yorkshire 41 1.80x
Glamorgan 32 7.98x
Middlesex 22 0.96x
Gloucestershire 18 3.99x
Cornwall 16 6.14x
Warwickshire 9 1.55x
Nottinghamshire 6 1.93x
Pembrokeshire 6 8.20x
Hampshire 5 1.06x
Surrey 5 0.45x
Staffordshire 3 0.39x
Merionethshire 2 4.75x
Dumfriesshire 1 1.97x
Huntingdonshire 1 2.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Swansea Town in Glamorgan leads with 32 Prusts recorded in 1881 and an index of 97.38x.

Place Total Index
Swansea Town 32 97.38x
Hartland 26 1744.97x
Barnstaple 17 226.06x
Cheltenham 14 40.20x
Wortley In Bramley 11 60.87x
Bethnal Green London 10 10.00x
Bideford 10 194.93x
Scarborough 10 48.24x
Tanshelf 8 439.56x
Morwenstow 7 1093.75x
St Mary Magdalene 7 364.58x
Chilwell 6 731.71x
Stoke Damerel 6 17.89x
Tenby St Mary In 6 161.29x
Aston 5 3.13x
Brading 5 79.74x
Birmingham 4 2.07x
Hutton Sessay 4 4000.00x
Islington London 4 1.79x
Leeds 4 3.11x
St George In East 4 25.54x
Camberwell 3 2.04x
Harborne 3 12.05x
Landcross 3 4285.71x
St Pancras London 3 1.62x
Tormoham 3 14.79x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 2 48.66x
Daglingworth 2 769.23x
Ilfracombe 2 40.57x
Llanelltyd 2 606.06x
Sessay 2 769.23x
Sutton 2 24.63x
Buckland West 1 344.83x
Cummertrees 1 116.28x
Filey 1 54.35x
Littleham 1 28.57x
St Ives 1 42.19x
St Marylebone London 1 0.81x
Stratton 1 70.92x
Tong 1 22.68x
Week St Mary 1 243.90x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Prust surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 15
Sarah 8
Ann 6
Elizabeth 6
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Hannah 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Evelyn 2
Kate 2
Laura 2
Lilian 2
Margret 2
Martha 2
Rachel 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Belhulia 1
Bessie 1
Blanch 1
Camilla 1
Caroline 1
Charles 1
Charlotte 1
Dorothy 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Evangeline 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Latitia 1
Layphena 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Naomi 1
Winnefred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Prust surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 15
John 13
Charles 10
Thomas 9
Richard 8
George 6
Frederick 5
James 4
Joseph 4
David 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Stephen 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Fredrick 2
Henry 2
Wm. 2
Alfred 1
Archabald 1
Bertie 1
Charley 1
Christopher 1
Eli 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Ilton 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Michall 1
Rd. 1
Saml. 1
Simeon 1
Sydney 1
Thos.W. 1

FAQ

Prust surname: questions and answers

How common was the Prust surname in 1881?

In 1881, 240 people were recorded with the Prust surname. That placed it at #11,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Prust surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016. That gives Prust a modern rank of #24,753.

What does the Prust surname mean?

A surname derived from the German word 'prust', meaning proud or arrogant.

What does the Prust map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Prust bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.