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?

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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 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the UK named Priest. 3% of Priest men worked as a General Labourer and 52% of Priest women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Priest were Incapacitated and Unpaid Domestic

View Census data for Priest | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

  • General Labourer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    1%
  • Gardener
    1%
  • Incapacitated
    1%

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    52%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

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

Priest Historical Records

What Priest family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 153,000 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 10,000 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 20,000 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.

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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 Ancestors

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