Surname Preyß - Meaning and Origin

Preyß: What does the surname Preyß mean?

The last name Preyß is of German origin and has several variations, including Preiss, Prey, Pries, and Prees. The name is derived from the Middle High German root word “pries”, meaning “priest” or “minister”. The name was most likely taken on to reflect an office which was held or that the person had either political or religious ties to a high official.

It is possible that it was also used as a term of endearment for those in the clergy or the aristocracy. As an occupational surname, it often denoted a person's occupation as either a preacher or a teacher. In addition, it may also have referred to an individual who was a court of justice or even a civil servant.

In modern times, Preyß is a common surname found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The conflicts and migrations occurring throughout German-speaking Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries spread the name around the world to places such as the United States and Australia.

In the US, Preyß is most prevalent in the states of California, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan. Regardless of its country of origin, the name carries a proud and honored history in many families and remains in use to this day.

Preyß: Where does the name Preyß come from?

Preyß is a German surname which is still common today, especially in Germany, Austria, and some regions of Switzerland. It is also to be found in some other countries as a result of families emigrating or having descendants in other countries. According to a website which contains a global distribution map of the name, Preyß is most popular in Germany and Austria with highest concentrations in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, and Hesse in Germany and Vorarlberg in Austria. Preyß is also a relatively common name in other regions of Europe such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Benelux countries, and Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany.

In America, Preyß is found mainly in the United States, with the majority of people with this name living in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin. This is thought to be due in part to the large wave of German emigrants to the United States during the 19th century. As of 2020, website records show that Preyß is the 2,200th most common surname in America.

Preyß is also highly present in other regions of the world due to the descendants of European emigrants, such as South Africa and Canada. To conclude, the name Preyß is still relatively common today with its highest populations found in Germany, Austria, and parts of the United States.

Variations of the surname Preyß

Preyß is a German surname that is anglicized in English to be spelled Preyce or Prices. Throughout Europe, different spelling variations of the surname exist. In Austria and Germany, a common variation is Preiß or Preißs. In Germany, the anglicized version of Preyß is Preisz or Preiz. In Switzerland, the spelling is Preys, while in France it is Preyss.

Similarly, in the Netherlands, the spelling is either Preiß or Preijs. In Belgium, the surname is spelled Preis or Preiss. In Southern Germany, Hungary and Poland, however, the common spelling is Preis. Another variation of the surname is spelled Pries in the Lower Saxon and Northern German Dominican dialects.

In areas where Italian and Swiss German were prevalent, the Preyß surname was adapted into the Italianized versions Preissi or Preiss, and the Swiss German versions Preisi or Preuss. Likewise, Preyß was also transformed into the corresponding Polish surnames Przec, Przyc or Przy, as well as the Hungarian version Preisz.

Overall, Preyß is a common surname throughout Europe that is commonly adapted and modified to fit certain language dialects; its variants, spellings and surnames include Preiß, Preißs, Preisz. Preiz, Preys, Preyss, Preijs, Preis, Preiss, Preissi, Preiss, Preisi, Preuss, Przec, Przyc, Przy, and Preisz.

Famous people with the name Preyß

• Stella Preyß: Stella Preyß is a German actress who has appeared in various television shows and movies since 2007.
• Claudia Preyß: Claudia Preyß is a German opera singer and vocal coach. She is a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Wilfried Preyß: Wilfried Preyß is a German philosopher and professor emeritus at the Freien Universität Berlin. He is the author of numerous books, including “Philosophy of Nature”, “Logic and the Human Sciences” and “Nature and Society in Transition”.
• Anna Preyß: Anna Preyß is a German motorcyclist who competes in the FIM CEV Moto2 series. She is the first female German motorcycle racer ever to qualify and compete at the highest level in any motorcycling series.
• Walter Preyß: Walter Preyß was a German soccer player who played for VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 in the 1950s and 1960s.
• Henrik Preyß: Henrik Preyß is a German research professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where he specializes in optical measurement systems. He is also affiliated with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.
• Helmut Preyß: Helmut Preyß is a German-born engineer and inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the modern shock absorber, which has been used in automobiles since the late 1950s.
• Armin Preyß: Armin Preyß is a German mathematician and professor at the University of Potsdam, where he specializes in algebraic geometry. He is the author of several books on the topic.
• Wolf Preyß: Wolf Preyß is a German artist, sculptor, and professor at the Institute of Visual Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He is known for his abstract sculptures, installations, and sound art.
• Monika Preyß: Monika Preyß is a German filmmaker and visual artist. She is the founder of the production company “Mongo Productions” and has won numerous awards for her documentary films.

Other surnames

Preyßinger