Contents [hide]

Procter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Procter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Procter comes from one of the family having worked as a steward. Procter is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. This type of surname is called a metonymic surname. This surname comes from the Old English word proketour, which is a contracted form of the Old French procurator.

Early Origins of the Procter family

The surname Procter was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Procter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Procter research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1536, 1537, 1540, 1578, 1584, 1632, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Procter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Procter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Procter have been found, including: Procter, Proctor and others.

Early Notables of the Procter family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Edward Proctor who married into the distinguished family of Beauchamp.Thomas Proctor (fl. 1578), was an English poet, the son of John Proctor, first master of Tunbridge grammar school.John Proctor (1521-1584), was an English divine and historian, a native of Somerset, was elected scholar of...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Procter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Procter Ranking

In the United States, the name Procter is the 10,856^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Procter family to Ireland

Some of the Procter family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Procter migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Procter, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Procter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Procter, who settled in Virginia in 1607
Alice Procter and her husband settled in Virginia in 1621
Mr. John Procter, (Proctor), aged 40, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin" 2
Mrs. Martha Procter, (Proctor), aged 28, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin" 2
Mr. John Procter, (Proctor), aged 3, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin" 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Procter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Procter, who landed in Virginia in 1705 3
Thomas Procter, who settled in Georgia in 1735 with his wife Elizabeth, four sons and a daughter
Henry Procter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1760 3

Procter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maurice Procter, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1845 3

Procter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Procter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Procter settled at Placentia, Newfoundland, in 1725 4
Charles Procter, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
James Procter, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Procter, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Sarah Procter, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Procter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mark Procter, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1816 4
James Procter, who settled in Grand Bank, Newfoundland in 1850 4

Procter migration to Australia +

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

Procter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

E. Procter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Delhi" in 1839 5
J.T. Procter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Delhi" in 1839 5

Procter 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:

Procter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Procter, (b. 1839), aged 24, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 6
Alexander Procter, aged 24, a ploughman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
Mrs. Louisa Procter, (b. 1855), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Westland" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd October 1883 7
Mr. William Procter, (b. 1881), aged 2, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Westland" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd October 1883 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Procter (post 1700) +

William Procter (1801-1884), English-born, American candlemaker and industrialist, co-founder of the Procter & Gamble Company in 1837
William Cooper Procter (1862-1934), American CEO of Procter & Gamble (1907-1930), grandson of William Procter
Emily Mallory Procter (b. 1968), American actress, best known for her role as Calleigh Duquesne in the former CBS police drama CSI: Miami
Cory Procter (b. 1982), American NFL football guard
Ben Hamill Procter (1927-2012), American former NFL football player for the Los Angeles Rams and historian at Texas Christian University
Adelaide Anne Procter (1825-1864), English poet and philanthropist, eldest daughter and first child of Bryan Waller Procter
Norma Procter (1928-2017), English contralto
Dr Joan Beauchamp Procter FZS, FLS (1897-1931), English zoologist at the British Museum (Natural History)
Bryan Waller Procter (1787-1874), English poet who used the pen name Barry Cornwall
Arthur Herbert Procter VC (1890-1973), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Procter family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. P. Procter, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 8

The Procter 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: Toujours fidele
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DELHI 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Delhi.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html