Explore the Family Name Prefontaine

The meaning of Prefontaine

French (Préfontaine): from pré (de la) fontaine, a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow (pré) with a spring (fontaine); or a habitational name from Préfontaine, the name of several places in the northern part of France. This surname is not found in France. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Adelard, Armand, Henri, Marcel, Michel, Normand, Pierre.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Prefontaine in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Prefontaine has seen a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Prefontaine was ranked as the 55,849th most popular name with a total of 343 individuals bearing this surname, equating to approximately 0.13 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had improved to 52,736, indicating rising popularity. The count of individuals with this surname also increased by 14.58% to 393 in 2010, maintaining the proportion per 100,000 people at 0.13.

20002010Change
Rank#55,849#52,7365.57%
Count34339314.58%
Proportion per 100k0.130.130%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Prefontaine

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the surname Prefontaine predominantly relates to White ethnic identity, though there were some changes observed between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, a significant 95.92% identified as White, but this number dropped slightly to 92.37% in 2010. Meanwhile, presence of the Prefontaine surname within the Hispanic community increased from 0% in 2000 to 3.82% in 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander individuals with this surname also saw growth, increasing by 12.25% over the decade. However, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races decreased from 1.75% to 1.53%. Data for Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native ethnicities remained static at 0%.

20002010Change
White95.92%92.37%-3.7%
Hispanic0%3.82%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander2.04%2.29%12.25%
Two or More Races1.75%1.53%-12.57%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%