Show ContentsPrentiss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Prentiss Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Prentiss

What does the name Prentiss mean?

The origins of the Prentiss surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a student in a craft; an apprentice having derived from the Old English word aprentis, which meant "learner of a craft." In the Middle Ages, workers and tradesmen didn't learn occupations in school. Instead, they would find an accomplished master of the craft and learn it directly from them in return for free labor during the period of apprenticeship. This is not an occupational surname for apprenticeship is not an occupation per se. It is instead how a person would learn an occupation. Often, the surname was recorded of people who had long finished their apprenticeships, and therefore could not be called one anymore. Instead, they were given the name for exhibiting typical characteristics of an apprentice: clumsiness, eagerness, and other characteristics of callow youth even into their adulthood.

Early Origins of the Prentiss family

The surname Prentiss was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Prentiss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prentiss research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Prentiss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prentiss Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Prentiss has been recorded under many different variations, including Prentice, Prentis, Prentiss, Prentisse and others.

Early Notables of the Prentiss family

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

Prentiss Ranking

the United States, the name Prentiss is the 8,890th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Prentiss family to Ireland

Some of the Prentiss family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prentiss migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Prentiss or a variant listed above:

Prentiss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Valentine Prentiss, who arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1631 2
  • Thomas Prentiss, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1652 2
Prentiss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Prentiss, who settled in New York in 1823
  • John C Prentiss, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Prentiss (post 1700) +

  • Robert G. "Bob" Prentiss (1936-2022), American politician, born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he served in the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2004
  • Henry Prentiss (1801-1859), American manufacturer of musical instruments, umbrellas and sheet music in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Brigadier-General Paul Hyde Prentiss (1895-1953), American Commanding Officer Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana (1949-1950) 3
  • Brigadier-General Augustin Mitchell Prentiss (1890-1977), American Commanding General of Pine Bluff Arsenal (1941-1946) 4
  • John Holmes Prentiss (1784-1861), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1837-1841)
  • Seargent Smith Prentiss (1808-1850), American politician who represented Mississippi in the Twenty-fifth United States Congress from 1838 to 1839
  • Samuel Prentiss (1782-1857), American politician, United States Senator from Vermont (1831-1842)
  • Paula Prentiss (b. 1939), born Paula Ragusa, American actress, known for her roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View, wife of Richard Benjamin
  • Elizabeth Prentiss (1818-1878), American songwriter, poet, writer
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Paul Prentiss. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Prentiss/Paul_Hyde/USA.html
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Augustin Prentiss. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Prentiss/Augustin_Mitchell/USA.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook