Pritchard
A Welsh patronymic meaning “son of Richard,” formed from ap Richard.
The #1,523 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,111 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pritchard comes from Welsh ap Richard, where ap means “son of.” The personal name Richard is of Germanic origin and was widely borrowed into medieval English and Welsh use. So the surname originally meant “Richard’s son,” later becoming fixed as Pritchard.
History
This is a classic Welsh surname that was later carried into English records in a fixed spelling. Historical surname books often link it directly with other Welsh patronymics such as Price and Parry. The form also appears in variants like Prichard and older spellings influenced by the prefix ap-.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Welsh prefix ap (“son of”) often fused with a following name over time, creating surnames that no longer look patronymic at first glance.
From the historical record
“prieur) ; Lat. prior, first] PRITCHARD (Celt, -f Teut.) for the Welsli Ap-Richard= Son of Richard, q.v. [Wei. ap, son] See Prichard. PRITGHETTI PRITCHITT r-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)