Priest Family History

Priest Surname Meaning

English (mainly West Midlands): nickname from Middle English pr(i)est ‘minister of the Church’ (Old English prēost from Latin presbyter Greek presbyteros ‘elder counselor’ comparative of presbys ‘old man’).

It may have denoted someone with a pious manner or possibly for someone who had played the part of a priest in a pageant.

It may occasionally have been used to denote someone suspected of being the son of a priest but evidence for this is lacking.

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

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

219K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
20K	Military Records
10K	Immigration Records
153K	Census and Voter Lists
517K	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Priest family from?

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 USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 597 Priest families living in Staffordshire. This was about 16% of all the recorded Priest's in United Kingdom. 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

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 United Kingdom named Priest. 11% of Priest men worked as a General labourer and 68% of Priest women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Priest were Gardener and Domestic duties.

View Census Data for Priest

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.

General labourer

11%

Retired

Incapacitated

Gardener

Unpaid domestic duties

68%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Domestic duties

What Priest family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 153K 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 UK census records for Priest

Passenger List

There are 10K 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

Military Records

There are 20K 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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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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Priest family tree

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Priest Surname Meaning

It may have denoted someone with a pious manner or possibly for someone who had played the part of a priest in a pageant.

It may occasionally have been used to denote someone suspected of being the son of a priest but evidence for this is lacking.

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

Where is the Priest family from?

What did your Priest ancestors do for a living?

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.

General labourer

11%

Retired

Incapacitated

Gardener

Unpaid domestic duties

68%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Domestic duties

What Priest family records will you find?

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.

Priest Family History

Priest Surname Meaning

921,000 record(s) for Priest

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Priest family from?

What did your Priest ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Priest family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Priest family history

What is the average Priest lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Priest family tree

Search for another surname

Priest Surname Meaning

921,000 record(s) for Priest

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Priest family from?

What did your Priest ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Priest family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Priest family history

What is the average Priest lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Priest family tree

Search for another surname