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Pray Family History

Pray Surname Meaning

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Préith popularly believed to be from an ancient Pictish personal name of unexplained etymology but more likely a reinterpretation of the descriptive phrase na préith ‘of the cattle-spoil’.

English: topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow from Old French pray, French pré from Latin pratum ‘meadow’.

Americanized form of German Prey.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Pray family from?

You can see how Pray families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pray family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pray families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 28 Pray families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Pray's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Pray families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pray surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Pray ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Pray. 60% of Pray men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Pray | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    60%
  • Cultivateur
    25%
  • Journalier
    15%

What Pray family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Pray. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pray census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Pray

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Pray. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Pray immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Pray. For the veterans among your Pray ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pray military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pray family history

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What is the average Pray lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Pray life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Pray in 1950 was 74, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pray

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Pray ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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