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Prior Family History

Prior Name 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

Similar surnames: Priore, Priolo, Prime, Oriol, Prim, Brier, Price, Pritz, Prier, Rio

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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 1911 there were 170 Prior families living in Ontario. This was about 62% of all the recorded Prior's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Prior families in 1911.

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.

View Census Data for Prior

What did your Prior ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Prior | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Farmer
35%
Laborer
14%
Labourer
13%
Carpenter
9%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

Income
24%
Stenographer
18%
Maid
12%
Dressmaker
12%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 Canadian 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 Canada, 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

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 Canadian 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 Canada, 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

Discover More

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

Browse profiles of historical people with the Prior last name