Prior Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Prior last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Prior coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Prior last name
Meaning of the Prior last name: a servant of a prior, or a nickname. Prior is an occupational or nickname surname from Middle English priour, the head of a priory. Since priors were celibate, the name probably referred to a servant of a prior or to someone of solemn manner. This last name is found widely in England and Ireland.
Arms associated with the Prior name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Prior family history
This is only a glimpse of the Prior story. The full Prior history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Prior coat of arms. Get the full Prior report.
Prior name FAQ
What does the Prior name mean?
A servant of a prior, or a nickname.
Where does the Prior surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Australia.
Is there a Prior coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Prior coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.