Show ContentsPrunty Surname History

The Prunty surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Proinntigh, meaning "descendant of Proinnteach," a personal name deriving from "proinn," meaning "banquet," and "teach," meaning "house," or "hall;" and which denoted a generous person.

Early Origins of the Prunty family

The surname Prunty was first found in County Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, where the name O'Prounty was found in the barony of Cremorne, in the Hearth Money Rolls.

The famous Brontë literary family came from the village of Thornton in West Yorkshire, England, but their father Patrick Brontë (1777-1861) was born in Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland. His birth name was Patrick Prunty or Brunty and was one of the ten children of Hugh Prunty or Brontë. He changed his paternal name to Brontë shortly before leaving Ireland. 1

Early History of the Prunty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prunty research. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1777 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Prunty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prunty Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Prunty, O' Prunty, Pruntoch, O' Prounty, O' Prontye and many more.

Early Notables of the Prunty family

More information is included under the topic Early Prunty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prunty Ranking

In the United States, the name Prunty is the 11,648th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Prunty family to Ireland

Some of the Prunty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Prunty migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Prunty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Prunty, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 3
  • Peter Prunty who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856

Australia Prunty migration to Australia +

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

Prunty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Lawrence Prunty, aged 23, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"

Contemporary Notables of the name Prunty (post 1700) +

  • Joe Prunty, American assistant basketball coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA
  • Wyatt Prunty (b. 1947), American poet and author
  • S. O. Prunty, American Republican politician, Circuit Judge in West Virginia for the 3rd Judicial Circuit, 1940 4
  • Roger Prunty, American politician, Mayor of Brookings, South Dakota, 1980-85 4
  • Paul E. Prunty, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates; Elected 1972; Defeated, 1974; Elected 1984 4
  • Lew Prunty, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1948, 1952 4
  • L. W. Prunty, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1944 4
  • Felix Prunty, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Ritchie County, 1872 4
  • A. D. Prunty, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wood County, 1937-38 4
  • Gavin Prunty (b. 1983), Irish professional boxer
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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