Pricket History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Pricket surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a young buck having been from the Old English word priket, a young buck, or a buck in his second year. 1 A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal.

Early Origins of the Pricket family

The surname Pricket was first found in Sussex where the Subsidy Rolls for 1296 includes an entry for William Priket. In 1325, Laurence Priket was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1325. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Richard Priket as holding lands in Derbyshire at that time. 2

'The crest of the family is allusive, being "a pricket—tripping, proper." 3

Early History of the Pricket family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pricket research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1611, 1672 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Pricket History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pricket Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Pricket has been recorded under many different variations, including Prickett, Pricket, Prichet and others.

Early Notables of the Pricket family

Notables of the family at this time include

Robert Pricket (fl. 1603), British poet who saw some military service in Elizabeth's reign, and afterwards sought a precarious livelihood as a verse-writer and pamphleteer against the Catholics...
One 'Robert Prickett...

Pricket migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Pricket or a variant listed above:

Pricket Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Pricket, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1849 4

The Pricket Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Auxillium ab alto
Motto Translation: Aid from above.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)