Prentice
A surname from Middle English for an apprentice, originally someone learning a craft.
The #4,505 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,211 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Prentice is an occupational surname meaning “apprentice.” It comes from Middle English prentis, prentyce, from Old French aprentis, ultimately related to Latin apprehendere, “to seize, grasp, learn.” The surname often reflects the old tendency to drop the initial a- in apprentice, leaving prentice as the everyday spoken form.
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Prentice as a straightforward occupational name, and they also note shortened spellings such as Prentis. It is well attested in English records from the medieval and early modern periods, when apprentice was a common social status and a natural source of surnames. Some 19th-century writers also treated Prentice as a possible personal-name form in a few cases, but the occupation-based explanation is the standard one.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Chaucer uses the word prentys in The Canterbury Tales, showing how old the form is in English.
From the historical record
“formerly a seat of the Prendergast family. PRENTICE 1 (A.-Fr.-Lat.) aphaeresized forms PRENTIS(SJof Apprentice [M..K prentis, prentys, prentyce, aprentis, .O.Fr. aprentis ; ult. f. Lat. appre(he)ndere, to lay hold of, learn] A. prentys whilom dwelled in oure citee, ' And of a craft of vitaillers was hee. — Chaucer…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)