# Pryor (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/pryor/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as an occupation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 27,805 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,263 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 11,104 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.7% (27,065 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɹaɪ.ɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Prior, Priur (surname), from Middle English prior, priour (“prior”). More at prior.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Pryor in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 60% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 34% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Pryor in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Pryor

- Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (1940–2005)
- Mark Pryor, American politician
- Nicholas Pryor, American actor (1935–2024)
- David Pryor, American politician (1934–2024)
- Aaron Pryor, American boxer (1955-2016)
- Roger Atkinson Pryor, (1828-1919) Confederate Army general, judge
- Karen Pryor, American author
- Arthur Willard Pryor, American bandleader, composer, virtuoso trombonist with the Sousa Band (1870–1942)
- William H. Pryor, Jr., American judge
- Frederic Pryor, American microeconomist
- Luke Pryor, American politician (1820-1900)
- Roger Pryor, American actor (1901-1974)

and 1 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Prior, Pereira, Poirier, Puryear, Perera, Pereyra, Perreira, Perrier.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.