Contents [hide]

Pritchett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Pritchett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The name Pritchett was a Welsh patronymic surname created from the personal name Richard. 1 2 The name was originally ap-Richard, the Welsh patronymic prefix "ap-," meaning "son of." The use of the prefix has disappeared over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Pritchett family

The surname Pritchett was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Spelling variations for this name are numerous through the ages. So as to underline this, a look at the Register of the University of Oxford reveals: David Aprycharde, 1521; William Prichard, or Ap-Richard, 1545; 3 and Thomas Prichett, London, 1616. 4

Early History of the Pritchett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pritchett research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1632, 1669, 1672, 1681, 1682, 1683, 1704, 1705, 1718, 1750 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Pritchett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pritchett Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Pritchett have included Pritchard, Prichard, Prickard and others.

Early Notables of the Pritchett family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Matthew Pritchard, O.F.M. (1669-1750) a Roman Catholic bishop; John Pritchett (died 1681), an English clergyman, Bishop of Gloucester (1672-1681)

Pritchett Ranking

In the United States, the name Pritchett is the 1,613^rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 5 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Pritchett is ranked the 476^th most popular surname with an estimated 99 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Pritchett family to Ireland

Some of the Pritchett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pritchett migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Pritchett:

Pritchett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Pritchett, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1648 7
Henry Pritchett, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 7
John Pritchett, who landed in Maryland in 1653-1658 7
Samuel Pritchett, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 7
Thomas Pritchett, who landed in Maryland in 1665 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pritchett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Pritchett, who landed in Virginia in 1713 7
Andrew Pritchett, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7

Pritchett migration to Australia +

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

Pritchett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Pritchett, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Switzerland"

Pritchett 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:

Pritchett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Pritchett, aged 32, a smith, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Elizabeth Pritchett, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872

Contemporary Notables of the name Pritchett (post 1700) +

Kelvin Pritchett (b. 1969), former American NFL football defensive tackle
John Pritchett (b. 1947), American two-time Academy Award nominated sound engineer
James Pritchett (b. 1922), American Daytime Emmy Award winning actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the soap opera The Doctors
Henry Smith Pritchett (1857-1939), American astronomer and educator, eponym of the Pritchett Lounge at MIT
James Pigott Pritchett (1789-1868), Welsh architect, born at St. Petrox, Pembrokeshire
Johnny Pritchett (b. 1943), English amateur welterweight and professional light middle/middle/light heavyweight boxer
James Keith Pritchett (b. 1982), English-born, New Zealand association football player, member of the New Zealand National Team 1999 to 2008
William Beal "Bill" Pritchett AO (1921-2014), senior Australian politician, Secretary of the Department of Defence (1979-1984)
Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett CH CBE (1900-1997), English writer and critic, known for the memoirs A Cab at the Door (1968) and Midnight Oil (1971)
Matthew "Matt" Pritchett MBE (b. 1964), English cartoonist at the Daily Telegraph
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pritchett family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Robert Leo Pritchett Jr., American Seaman First Class from Louisiana, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html