Prior
A surname for someone connected with a priory or a prior, often from an occupational or nickname-based origin.
The #5,154 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,491 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name comes from Middle English and Old French forms meaning “prior,” ultimately from Latin prior, meaning “first” or “earlier.” In surname use, it could refer to the head of a priory, or to someone associated with a priory in some other way, such as a servant or attendant. Some historical writers also treated it as a nickname or pageant name connected with the office.
History
Historical surname dictionaries record it in medieval English sources and group it among ecclesiastical surnames. It appears to have been established early in England, and the form is straightforward enough that it has remained recognizable with little spelling change. The same word also survives in ordinary English vocabulary, which can make the surname feel especially transparent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the root is Latin prior, the surname is etymologically related to the everyday English word “prior” meaning “earlier.”
From the historical record
“William Prin.— /f«»d. Rolls. PRIOR (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Head of a Priory; also a nickname (as for a prior's servant) and pageant-name [M.E. O.Fr. pri{o)ur (Fr. prieur) ; Lat. prior, first] PRITCHARD (Celt, -f Teut.) for the Welsli Ap-Richard= Son of Richard, q.v. [Wei.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)