| ![Show Contents]() Prat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Prat family have grown. The name Prat was given to a member of the family who was a trickster; for a practical joker. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word prætt, which meant "a trick" or alternatively "cunning and astute." A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Nickname surnames were frequently the result of a spontaneous reaction to a particular occasion or event. It is possible that the name was given to the original bearer as the result of a particularly brilliant and wildly successful practical joke. Early Origins of the Prat familyThe surname Prat was first found in Essex but the name originally comes from Normandy where it is derived from the place name Pratum, or Pré, near Lisieux where Duke Richard gave lands to Fontanelles Abbey in 1024. Again in Normandy, Richard and Robert de Prato were listed in 1198 but another branch of the family were found in Essex in 1199 where Roger de Prato was listed at that time. Hervery de Prato was King John's "faithful knight" in 1200 and Rouen Castle was given to his brother for his services. 1 We draw the reader's attention to the church in the parish of Ryston in Norfolk. "The church is chiefly in the decorated English style, and contains numerous monuments to the Pratt family, including one to Lady Pratt, whose figure, in a reclining posture, is beautifully sculptured in white marble." 2 Early History of the Prat familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prat research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1497, 1573, 1615, 1620, 1657, 1659, 1664, 1667, 1684, 1723, 1725 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Prat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Prat Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Prat family name include Pratt, Pratte, Prat and others. Early Notables of the Prat familyNotables of the family at this time include - Sir Roger Pratt (1620-1684), an English gentleman-architect, best known for his work on Clarendon House, London (1664-1667.)
- Sir John Pratt (1657-1725), was an English judge, son of Richard Pratt of Standlake, Oxfordshire, and grandson of Richard Pratt of Carswell Priory, near Collumpton, Devonshire. 3 Sir Samuel Pratt...
Prat RankingIn France, the name Prat is the 464th most popular surname with an estimated 9,436 people with that name. 4  Migration of the Prat family to Ireland
Some of the Prat 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.
| Prat migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Prat surname or a spelling variation of the name include :
Prat Settlers in United States in the 16th Century- John Prat, who settled in the Roanoake, Virginia colony in 1587
- Roger Prat, who arrived at the Roanoake colony in 1587
Prat Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Prat, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1608 aboard the ship "Second Supply" 5
- Ann Prat, who landed in Maryland in 1670 5
Prat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Jaime Prat, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1823 5
- J B Prat, aged 31, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1855 5
- Roger Prat, who landed in Virginia in 1887 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Prat (post 1700) | + |
- W. J. Prat, American politician, Mayor of Whatcom, Washington, 1890 6
- Melcior Mauri Prat (b. 1966), retired Spanish (Catalan) professional cyclist
- Enric Prat de la Riba, Catalan politician and writer
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Prat migration to the United States 
England
France
Ireland
Spain
