Pritchard
/ˈprɪtʃərd/noun
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning “son of Richard.”
Did you know?The initial P- represents Welsh ap, meaning “son of”; when ap came before a personal name, it often fused with the name, producing surnames such as Pritchard, Powell, and Price.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reg-
“To straighten, guide, or rule; a proposed deep ancestor of the Germanic power-related element in Richard.”
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*rīkijaz
“Powerful, mighty, or ruling; the source of the first element in Richard.”
Old High German
Old High German
Ricohard
“A personal name combining ric, “power,” with hard, “hardy” or “brave.””
Old French
Old French
Richard
“The Norman-French form of the Germanic personal name, introduced widely into Britain after the Norman Conquest.”
Medieval Welsh
Welsh
ap Richard
““Son of Richard”; ap was the Welsh patronymic particle.”
15th–16th Century
English/Welsh
Pritchard
“A hereditary surname formed as ap Richard fused into Pritchard.”
Modern English
English
Pritchard
“A Welsh-origin family name, especially associated historically with Wales and the Welsh borderlands.”