Show ContentsPryce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh name Pryce is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Rhys, which also took the forms Rice and Rees. The surname Pryce was originally ap-Rhys, ap-Rice, or ap-Rees: the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ap," means "son of," but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Pryce family

The surname Pryce was first found in Merionethshire (Welsh: Sir Feirionnydd), made a county in Northwest Wales in 1284, and anciently part of the kingdom of Gwynedd, 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.

Early History of the Pryce family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pryce research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1505, 1573, 1596, 1599, 1605, 1619, 1628, 1630, 1640, 1646, 1648, 1651, 1657, 1660, 1661, 1666, 1671, 1675, 1678, 1691, 1744, 1752 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Pryce History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pryce Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. 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 were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Pryce have included Price, Pryce and others.

Early Notables of the Pryce family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

  • Marchwithian, Chieftain of the Prices in North Wales; Sir John Price, Ap Price, Ap Rhys (died 1573), Welsh visitor of the monasteries, was son of Rhys ab Gwilym; Sir John Pryce (Price), 1st Baronet (c...

Pryce Ranking

In the United States, the name Pryce is the 11,469th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Pryce family to Ireland

Some of the Pryce family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Pryce migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Pryce:

Pryce Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Launcelot Pryce, aged 21, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 2
  • John Pryce, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 2
Pryce Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • David Pryce, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 2
  • William Pryce, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 2
  • Thomas Pryce, who arrived in New York in 1840 2

Australia Pryce migration to Australia +

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

Pryce Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

West Indies Pryce migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Pryce Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Howell Pryce, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Pryce (post 1700) +

  • Trevor Wesley Pryce II (b. 1975), retired American NFL football defensive end
  • Deborah D. Pryce (b. 1951), American politician from Ohio, former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Ohio
  • William Thornton Pryce (1932-2006), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, 1993-96 6
  • Deborah D. Pryce (b. 1951), American Republican politician, Municipal judge in Ohio, 1989-92; U.S. Representative from Ohio 15th District, 1993- 6
  • Thomas Tannatt Pryce VC MC & Bar (1886-1918), Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • John Pryce (1828-1903), Welsh clergyman and writer on church history, Dean of Bangor Cathedral
  • Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (1949-1977), Welsh racing driver, famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions (1975)
  • Bradley Pryce (b. 1981), Welsh professional boxer
  • Jonathan Pryce CBE (b. 1947), Welsh Tony award winning, Welsh BAFTA Award winning, Golden Globe nominated stage and film actor and singer
  • William Pryce (1725-1790), English antiquary, son of Dr. Samuel Pryce of Redruth in Cornwall, said to be descended from Sir John Pryce of Newtown Hall, Montgomeryshire
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Pryce, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Charles William Pryce (d. 1912), aged 22, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 8


The Pryce 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: Vita brevis gloria aeterna
Motto Translation: Life is short, glory eternal


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  5. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  8. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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