Pridgeon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Pridgeon came to England with the ancestors of the Pridgeon family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the ancient and forgotten given name Prujean. Alternatively, the name could have been a nickname derived from the Middle English word "pygeon" as "bird-names are among the most common of the nickname class of surnames. 1

Interestingly, the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae of 1180-1195 lists John Pichon, Normandy 1180-1195. This could point to either another origin or that the name was in fact originally a Norman name. 2

Early Origins of the Pridgeon family

The surname Pridgeon was first found in various counties and shires throughout ancient Britain. Alan Pigun was the first record of the family and he was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk in 1200 and the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1202. Ralf Pyjun was listed in the Assise Rolls of Somerset in 1268. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William Pigun in Norfolk and Richard Pigun in Cambridgeshire. 4

The Subsidy Rolls for Sussex list a wide range of phonetic variants: "Relicta Pygon, 1296; Relicta Pijohan, John Petijohan, John Pyion, John Pyion, Jopn Petiion and Thomas Pyion 1327. " 3

Early History of the Pridgeon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pridgeon research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1593 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Pridgeon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pridgeon Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pigeon, Pidgeon and others.

Early Notables of the Pridgeon family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Francis Prujean (1593-1666), English physician, whose name was often spelt Pridgeon, son of Francis Prujean, rector of Boothby, Lincolnshire, born at Bury St...

Migration of the Pridgeon family to Ireland

Some of the Pridgeon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pridgeon migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Pridgeon name or one of its variants:

Pridgeon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lily Pridgeon, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Canonsberg, Pennsylvania, in 1911
George Pridgeon, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1921

Pridgeon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pridgeon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Pridgeon, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Marys" arriving in New Zealand in 1848 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Pridgeon (post 1700) +

John Pridgeon Jr. (1852-1929), American businessman and politician, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan (1888 to 1889)
Marvin Pridgeon, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1969
John Pridgeon Jr., American politician, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, 1888-89
Alan Paul Pridgeon (b. 1954), retired English first-class cricketer

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html