Show ContentsPreiss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Preiss family

The surname Preiss was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region Saxony. The name Preuss came from an ancient Baltic tribe of the name Prüsen, a tribe displaced by the German tribes in the 13th century. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Preiss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Preiss research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1620, 1666, 1696, 1698, 1737, 1757 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Preiss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Preiss Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Preuss, Pruys, Preussner, Preussler, Preissler, Prutz, Preis, Preiss, Preisser, Preissler, Preissman, Prusse, Prussman and many more.

Early Notables of the Preiss family

Notable figures of the time with the name Preiss were

  • Mihael Preiss, Slovenian politician, Mayor of Ljubljana in 1605
  • Johann Justin Preissler (1698-1771), German painter and draughtsman from Nuremberg

Preiss Ranking

In the United States, the name Preiss is the 18,039th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Preiss migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Preiss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Preiss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
Preiss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Henrich Preiss, aged 54, who landed in Missouri in 1841 2
  • Johann Christian Preiss, who arrived in Texas in 5 aboard the ship "Everhard" 2
  • Anton Preiss, who landed in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Everhard" 2
  • Miss Cath. Preiss, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Everhard"
  • Mrs. Cath. Preiss, (nee Schermidt), German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Everhard"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Preiss (post 1700) +

  • Paul Preiss (b. 1980), American actor and model
  • Jeff Preiss, American filmmaker, cinematographer, director and producer
  • Byron Preiss (1953-2005), American writer, editor, and publisher, best known for his work The Words of Gandhi Dragonworld
  • Johann Philipp Ferdinand Preiss (1882-1943), German sculptor
  • Wolfgang Preiss (1910-2002), German theatre, film and television actor, active from 1932 to 1996
  • Martin Preiss (b. 1978), Czech cinematographer, writer and realizer
  • Viktor Preiss (b. 1947), Czech actor
  • Johann August Ludwig Preiss (1811-1883), German-born British botanist and zoologist, known for his extensive work in Australia collecting about 200,000 plant specimens
  • David Preiss, English professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, winner of the 2008 LMS Pólya Prize, associate editor of the journal Real Analysis Exchange


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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