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Pendergrass History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Pendergrass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Pendergrass surname belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are thought to have originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads in Normandy. In Ireland, the name was turned into a Gaelic form as de Priondragás; however, the name has also been replaced with MacSherone.

Early Origins of the Pendergrass family

The surname Pendergrass was first found in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro), a county in south-west Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth, where they held a family seat from early times and were Lords of the manor of Prendergast and estates in that shire. Maurice, Lord of Prendergast was a great friend and neighbor of Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke. He accompanied Strongbow in the Anglo\Norman invasion of Ireland in 1172. He was summoned back to England by Henry II., in 1175 to escort the rebellious Robert, Earl of Essex, captive into Normandy in 1177. Upon his return to England he once again returned to Ireland and was rewarded with lands in Ireland in Waterford and south Mayo. 1

Early History of the Pendergrass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pendergrass research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1660, 1689, 1703, 1709, 1710 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Pendergrass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pendergrass Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Pendergrass, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Prendergast, Prendegast, Pendergast, Pendegast, Prendregast, Pendergrass, Pendergrist, Pender and many more.

Early Notables of the Pendergrass family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Thomas Prendergast (d. 1725) of Croane, County Limerick; and his son, Brigadier-General Sir Thomas Prendergast (c. 1660-1709), 1st Baronet Prendergast, of Gort, Member of Parliament for Monaghan Borough (1703-1710.)Both hail from an ancient...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pendergrass Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pendergrass Ranking

In the United States, the name Pendergrass is the 3,293^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Pendergrass migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Pendergrass:

Pendergrass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lawrence Pendergrass, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 3
John Pendergrass, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 3

Pendergrass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Pendergrass, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
Patrick Pendergrass, who settled in Boston in 1847

Pendergrass migration to Australia +

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

Pendergrass Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Smith Pendergrass, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Pendergrass (post 1700) +

Sean Pendergrass (b. 1972), American cartoonist, animator, writer, and storyboard artist, known for his work on Rugrats, The Wild Thornberry's, As Told by Ginger and many more
Shane Pendergrass (b. 1950), American Democratic politician, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1995-)
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass (1950-2010), American R&B/soul singer and songwriter

The Pendergrass Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
"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 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie