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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The proud Norman name of Primus was developed in England soon after Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was name for a slender or a small man having derived from the Old French word prim, meaning delicate. 1 2 3
However, another source claims that while the name is Norman, it is derived from the "Latin primus-first, best, chief, as in the old French phrase, 'Le prime de Chevaliers,' defined by Cotgrave as 'a prime Knight, the flower of Knights.' The French surname De la Pryme has, however, the appearance of a local origin." 4
The surname Primus was first found in Lincolnshire where William Prime was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. A few years later, Ralph Prime was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 3 In Sussex they acquired the manor of Walberton House.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Primus research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1596, 1628, 1629, 1671, 1701 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Primus History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Primus have been found, including Pryme, Prime and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Prime (1550-1596), English divine, son of Robert Prime, a butcher of Oxford, born in the parish of Holywell.
Abraham de la Pryme (1671-1704), was an Presbyterian minister and English antiquary and descendant of a Huguenot family which migrated from Ypres in Flanders in 1628-1629, and lost much money in draining the great fens in the levels of Hatfield...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Primus Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Primus is the 15,078th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Primus were among those contributors: