Pritchett
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning “son of Richard,” with Pritchard and Prichard as close relatives.
The #1,856 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,969 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pritchett is generally explained as a variant of Pritchard, which comes from the Welsh patronymic form ap Richard, meaning “son of Richard.” Over time, the initial ap- was fused to the name, and later spellings shifted through pronunciation and spelling change. Some older writers also treated Pritchett as a corruption of Pritchard or Prichard.
History
The name appears in English records in several spelling forms, including Pritchard, Prichard, Pritchet, and Pritchett. It is especially associated with Welsh naming patterns that became fixed surnames in England and Wales. The surname remains most common in English-speaking countries today, especially the United States and the UK.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Pritchett with other Welsh ap- surnames such as Powell and Barry, because the prefix disappeared as the names became hereditary.
From the historical record
“harder Prickard (q.v.V And jusl as Pritchard or Prichard became corrupted into Pritchett and Prit- chitt, so also did Prickard become corrupted into Prickett and Prickitt. The origiQ is thus simple enough. (a) Nick, 'the pricket,' a buck in”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances