Prestt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Prestt finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who 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.

Early Origins of the Prestt family

The surname Prestt was first found in Hertfordshire, where they held a family seat before the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Prestt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prestt research. Another 391 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1557, 1558, 1579, 1615, 1621, 1645 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Prestt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prestt 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. Prestt has been recorded under many different variations, including Preost, Priest, Prest, Preist, Prestt, Press and many more.

Early Notables of the Prestt family

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 Prestt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Prestt family to Ireland

Some of the Prestt 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.

Migration of the Prestt family

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 Prestt or a variant listed above: John Priest, his wife Sara, and their daughters Mary and Sarah, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower"; Degory Priest who also arrived in Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ".