Show ContentsProsper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Prosper surname comes from the personal name Prospero, from the Latin word "prosperus," meaning "prosperous," or "fortunate."

Early Origins of the Prosper family

The surname Prosper was first found in Ferrara, a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. History dates the city back to 753. It was at war with Venice in 1471. It is a walled city and notable is the Church of S.Cristoforo. Knitted goods and shawls are made. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time was in itself a family honor.

Early History of the Prosper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prosper research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1395, 1494, 1574, 1607, 1633 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Prosper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prosper Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Prosperi, Prosperini, Prospero, Prosperina, Prosperino, Prospera and many more.

Early Notables of the Prosper family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • the Prosperi family of Velletri

Prosper Ranking

In France, the name Prosper is the 7,265th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Prosper family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Antoini Prosperi, who settled in Alabama in 1868; Michele Prosperi, age 24, who arrived in New York on Aug. 7, 1880, aboard the "Egadi"; F. Prospero, age 33, who arrived in New York on April 23, 1883, aboard the ".


Contemporary Notables of the name Prosper (post 1700) +

  • Pierre-Richard Prosper (1963-2001), American lawyer and former government official, former second United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues (2001 to 2005)
  • Pierre-Richard Prosper (b. 1963), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to, 2001- 2
  • Peter Prosper (b. 1969), Trinidadian footballer
  • Benoît Prosper Sibuet, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
  • Anthony Prosper Quiney, English architectural historian, writer and photographer
  • Victor Prosper Considérant (1808-1893), French socialist
  • Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin (1796-1864), French economist
  • Edwin Prosper Augur (1847-1925), American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 2nd District, 1886, 1888, 1896 4
  • Pierre Prosper Garven (1872-1938), American Republican politician, Mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, 1906-10, 1915-19; Defeated, 1910; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1916 5
  • Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton (1813-1890), French violinist, son of a merchant, born at Toulouse

Monongah Mine
  • Mr. Tony Prosper (b. 1862), American coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 6
SS Caribou
  • Mr. James Leonard Prosper (b. 1888), British crew member from North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he died in the sinking


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) Benoît Sibuet. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).


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