Contents [hide]

Pring History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Pring History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the name Pring stretch back to a family in the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. They lived in a place near Stow Roxburghshire, called Hopringle or Pringle. As such, Pring is a habitation name, a category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The place name comes from the Old English word hop which referred to an "enclosed valley," and Prjónn, an Old Norse name comprised of components which mean peg and ravine. Thus, the original bearer of the surname came from an area noted for an enclosed valley or a ravine.

However some sources presume the name to be derived from "pilgrim," as "they bear in their arms the escallop shells or badges of pilgrims to the Holy Land." 1 2

Early Origins of the Pring family

The surname Pring was first found in Roxburghshire, where the first Chief on record was Robert de Hoppryngil who witnessed a deed by King Alexander III of Scotland in 1250 A.D. Forty-six years later, Ellys Obringkel was Bishop of St. Andrews, and rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. His seal bore a hunting horn. About this time they acquired the Clan territories near Stow and they became close allies of the Black Douglases. 3

"The little silver coin called a pringle, formerly minted in Scotland, and of about the value of an English penny, may have derived its name from one of this family." 4

Early History of the Pring family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pring research. Another 426 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1368, 1406, 1450, 1455, 1485, 1513, 1568, 1580, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1631, 1664, 1667, 1689, 1736 and 1976 are included under the topic Early Pring History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pring Spelling Variations

Spelling rules only evolved in the last few centuries with the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries. Spelling variations are extremely common in names from before that period. Pring has been spelled Pringle, Pringell, Prindle, Hopringle and others.

Early Notables of the Pring family

Notable among the family at this time was

George Pringle (1631-1689), of Torwoodlee, eldest son of James Pringle of Torwoodlee. The Pringles of Torwoodlee, Selkirkshire, are descended from the Pringles of Snailholm, Roxburghshire, the first o...
Walter Pringle (1625-1667), of Greenknowe, Berwickshire, Scottish Covenanter, was the third son of Robert Pringle, first of Stitchel, Roxburghshire. The Pringles of Stitchel were descended from the Ho...
Sir Walter Pringle (1664-1736), Lord Newhall was a Scottish judge, was second son of Sir Robert Pringle, 1st Baronet of Stitchel
Martin Pring (1580-1626) was an English explorer from Bristol, who by the age of 23 was captain of an expedition to North America. He explored areas of present-day Maine, New Hampshire, and Cape Cod i...

Migration of the Pring family to Ireland

Some of the Pring family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pring migration to the United States +

After making their great crossing, many Boernician-Scottish families settled along the east coast of North America. When the War of Independence broke out, United Empire Loyalists moved north to Canada while the rest stayed to fight. The ancestors of many of these Scots still populate the continent. This century, through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations, they began to rediscover their collective national heritage. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Pring or a variant listed above:

Pring Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Pring, aged 30, British settler who arrived in New York in 1839 aboard the ship "Philadelphia" 5
Christian Pring, aged 22, German settler who arrived in New York in 1849 aboard the ship "Gladeuler" 5
Mary Pring, aged 15, English settler who arrived in New York in 1851 aboard the ship "Columbian" 5
Frederick Pring, aged 28, German settler who arrived in New York in 1852 aboard the ship "Margaret Evans" 5
Ellen Pring, aged 20, Irish settler who arrived in New York in 1853 aboard the ship "Hemisphere" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pring migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pring Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Pring, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Pakenham" in 1849 6

Pring Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Frederick Pring, who arrived in Fremantle, Australia in 1908 aboard the ship "Ormuz" 7
W. Pring, who arrived in Fremantle, Australia in 1909 aboard the ship "Otway" 7
Elizabeth Pring, who arrived in Brisbane, Australia in 1910 aboard the ship "Orvieto" 7
Philip Pring, who arrived in Sydney, Australia in 1911 aboard the ship "Osterley" 7
William Pring, who arrived in Fremantle, Australia in 1912 aboard the ship "Ortanto" 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Pring (post 1700) +

Gerald Pring (1888-1970), British stage and film actor who played a number of supporting roles in British and American films during the silent and sound eras
George W. "Rock" Pring, American Professor of Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Ratcliffe Pring (1825-1885), Devon-born, Australian lawyer, politician and the first Attorney-General in colonial Queensland
John Pym Gray Pring MBE (1927-2014), New Zealand rugby union referee for over 40 years, and included controlling all four test matches between the All Blacks and the British Lions
Robert Darlow Pring (1853-1922), Australian lawyer, judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1902 to 1922
Jack Pring (b. 1993), Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played at representative level for Wales
Daniel Pring (1788-1846), British officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his role in the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States
Cameron Lewis Moir- Pring (b. 1998), English professional footballer who plays as a left back for EFL Championship club Bristol City
Princess Joyce Enaje Pring -Triviño (b. 1993), Filipina television personality and host, born in Tondo, Manila
Keith David Pring (1943-2018), Welsh professional footballer and Wales international

Historic Events for the Pring family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Norman Gardiner Pring (d. 1945), British Lieutenant Commander Assistant Paymaster aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. H Pring, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 9

HMS Repulse

Mr. A J S Pring, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PAKENHAM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Pakenham.htm
national Archives of Australia retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html