Priest Family History

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Priest Name Meaning

English (mainly West Midlands): from Middle English pr(i)est ‘minister of the Church’ (Old English preost, from Latin presbyter, Greek presbyteros ‘elder’, ‘counselor’, comparative of presbys ‘old man’), used as a nickname, either for someone with a pious manner or possibly for someone who had played the part of a priest in a pageant. It may also have been an occupational name for someone in the service of a priest, and occasionally it may have been used to denote someone suspected of being the son of a priest.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Crist, Pries, Priester, Press, Privett, Depriest, Prieto, Prost

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Priest Family Origin

Where is the Priest family from?

Location
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You can see how Priest families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Priest family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Priest families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 597 Priest families living in Staffordshire. This was about 16% of all the recorded Priest's in the UK. Staffordshire had the highest population of Priest families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Priest surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Priest

Priest Family Occupations

What did your Priest ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Priest family was Labourer. The most common Priest occupation in the UK was Coal Miner. 6% of Priest's were Coal Miners. Coal Miner, Farmer and Chain Maker were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Priest.

View Census data for Priest | Data not to scale

  • Coal Miner

    6%

  • Farmer

    4%

  • Chain Maker

    3%

  • Labourer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Priest ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Priest Historical Records

What Priest family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Priest. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Priest census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Priest

Passenger List

There are 642 immigration records available for the last name Priest. 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 Priest immigration records

Draft Card

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Priest. For the veterans among your Priest ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Priest military records

You've only scratched the surface of Priest family history.

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Priest Life Expectancy

What is the average Priest lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Priest life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 1967. The average life expectancy for Priest in 1944 was 55, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Priest

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Priest 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.

Famous Priest Family

Is anyone famous hiding in your tree?

Frank Lloyd Wright1867 - 1959 (91)
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Audrey Hepburn1929 - 1993 (63)
Grace Kelly1929 - 1982 (52)
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Babe Ruth1895 - 1948 (53)
John Philip Sousa1854 - 1932 (77)
Frank Lloyd Wright1867 - 1959 (91)
Mark Twain1835 - 1910 (74)
Ella Fitzgerald1918 - 1996 (78)
Audrey Hepburn1929 - 1993 (63)
Grace Kelly1929 - 1982 (52)
Nikola Tesla1856 - 1943 (86)
Babe Ruth1895 - 1948 (53)
John Philip Sousa1854 - 1932 (77)
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