Contents [hide]

Pryce History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Pryce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

It is thought that most instances of the Pryce surname root from the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales. The name Pryce, is from the Welsh personal name Rhys, which also took the forms Rice and Rees. The surname Pryce features the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix ap-. The original forms of the name were ap-Rhys, ap-Rice, or ap-Rees. However there are also distinctly English instances of the name, and in this case, the name is thought to derive from the Middle English/Old French "pris," meaning "prize." Given the centuries that have passed, and the movement of families and individuals since this surname began to be used, the earliest roots of the bearers of Pryce are often indistinguishable.

Early Origins of the Pryce family

The surname Pryce was first found in various parts of England and Wales. Early instances of the surname include: Robert Price in Cornwall in 1297; Richard Prys, in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1320; and a John Aprice in Pembroke, in 1492. In Wales, they are said to have come from Merionethshire 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 27 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1495, 1553, 1566, 1574, 1581, 1602, 1608, 1631, 1676, 1677 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Pryce History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pryce Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Price, Pryce and others.

Early Notables of the Pryce family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Hugh Price (c. 1495-1574), Welsh founder of Jesus College, Oxford, was the son of Rees ap Rees, a butcher, who 'acquired such a fortune as to enable him to give his children a liberal education, and t...

Pryce Ranking

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

Migration of the Pryce family to Ireland

Some of the Pryce family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pryce migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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

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

Mr. John Pryce, Welsh convict who was convicted in Montgomeryshire, Wales for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 3

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
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
George Pryce (1801-1868), English historian from Bristol, elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 30 April 1857
Karl Pryce (b. 1986), English professional rugby league footballer
Leon Pryce (b. 1981), English professional rugby league footballer
Captain Edward Calcott Pryce CBE (1885-1972), British Solicitor and Liberal Party politician
Thomas Tannatt Pryce VC MC & Bar (1886-1918), Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pryce family +

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

Citations +

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