Where Does the Pritt Surname Come From?

Ask a genealogist about Pritt and the first name they will mention is Pratt. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “Cunning, astute”.

Heraldry and the Pritt name

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Pratt surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

Spelling and variants

The two spellings differ in a small detail: Pritt has “i” where Pratt has “a”. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them.

In the 2010 US Census, 3,223 Americans gave Pritt as their last name (rank 10,001). That is enough to place it in the top 25,000 American surnames. For the full story, order the Pritt surname pack.