Prink History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Scotland

The ancient Saxon name Prink dates back before the Norman Conquest when the first record of the family was Æðelgeard Preng c. 958, who was listed in the source Old English Bynames.

Early Origins of the Prink family

The surname Prink was first found in Devon, England, but early rolls list the family in a multitude of English counties. Simon Pring was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1203; and Walter Prink was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 1

One source claims the name is a nickname as in 'Pryne, chief, first.' He goes on to say that "the final 'g' in Pring is modern and excrescent." 2

Early History of the Prink family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prink research. Another 41 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1506, 1524, 1580, 1603, 1606, 1608, 1613, 1614, 1616, 1618, 1621, 1622 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Prink History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prink Spelling Variations

Spelling variations occur frequently in Scottish names that date from the medieval era. They result from a general lack of grammatical rules and the tendency to spell names according to sound. Prink has been spelled Pring, Pringe, Prink and others.

Early Notables of the Prink family

Distinguished members of the family include Martin Pring (1580-1626?), English sea captain, son of John Pring of Awliscombe, Devonshire, was, in 1603, captain of the Speedwell, a vessel of fifty tons burden, which, together with a small barque named the Discoverer, was fitted out by some Bristol merchants, and in great part by John Whiston, the mayor, for a voyage to North Virginia, under license from Sir Walter Ralegh. "In October 1606 he went out to Virginia in an expedition fitted out by Sir John Popham, and 'brought back with him,' wrote Sir Ferdinando Gorges, 'the most exact discovery of that coast...
Another 478 words (34 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Prink Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Prink family

In the 20th century, the ancestors of many of those Boernician-Scottish people still populate North America. They distributed themselves on either side of the border at the time of the War of Independence. United Empire Loyalists went north to Canada and those who wanted a new nation stayed south. Both groups went on to found great nations. Some of the first North American settlers with Prink name or one of its variants:

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)