The founding heritage of the Preist family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Preist comes from when one of the family worked as a priest having derived from the Old English word preost, which means priest. It was also a nickname given to a person with a priestly character, and probably also given to a person with the exact opposite character. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.
The surname Preist was first found in Hertfordshire, where they held a family seat before the Middle Ages.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Preist research. Another 391 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1558, 1379, 1615, 1557, 1579, 1621, 1645 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Preist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Preist has been spelled many different ways, including Preost, Priest, Prest, Preist, Prestt, Press and many more.
Notables of the family at this time include Agnes Prest (died 1557), an English Protestant martyr burned at the stake at Southernhay in Exeter; Degory Priest (ca. 1579-1621), A London...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Preist Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Preist family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Preists to arrive in North America: