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Prior Family History

Prior Surname Meaning

English (southern) Scottish Dutch and German: ultimately from Latin prior ‘superior’ used to denote a prior, a monastic official immediately subordinate to an abbot, hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble a prior.

Irish: Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac an Phríora ‘son of the prior’ (this is the usual origin in counties Cavan and Leitrim). Some examples may be Anglo-Norman, the same name as in 1 above.

Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan: from prior, probably denoting someone in the service of a prior or a nickname for someone who behaved in a pompous way.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Prior family from?

You can see how Prior families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Prior family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Prior families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,498 Prior families living in London. This was about 22% of all the recorded Prior's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Prior families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Prior surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Prior ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Prior. 9% of Prior men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Prior women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Prior were Gardener and Private Means.

View Census Data for Prior | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Gardener
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Prior family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 211,000 census records available for the last name Prior. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Prior census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Prior

Passenger Lists

There are 18,000 immigration records available for the last name Prior. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Prior immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 24,000 military records available for the last name Prior. For the veterans among your Prior ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Prior military records

You've only scratched the surface of Prior family history

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What is the average Prior lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Prior life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1945. The average life expectancy for Prior in 1944 was 26, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Prior

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Prior ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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