Trice
A rare surname most likely shortened from a medieval name like Beatrice or from a nickname-based source, with some uncertainty in the old records.
The #4,145 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,127 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical hint is that Trice may be a shortened or altered form of the medieval feminine name Beatrice, which itself came into English through Old French and ultimately Latin. In older surname scholarship, comparable forms such as Beet and Beatson are explained this way, and Trice may belong to the same family of nickname or pet-name reductions. Another possibility is that it is a later spelling variant that developed from a similar-sounding personal name rather than a separate root of its own.
History
The name is uncommon and seems to have survived mainly as a local or family spelling rather than as a widespread surname. The historical excerpts do not give a clean headword entry for Trice itself, so the derivation remains tentative rather than certain. In modern use it is rare in the United States, with only a few thousand bearers recorded in the 2010 census.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname collections often discuss Trice alongside names built from Beatrice, showing how many English surnames began as pet forms of given names.
From the historical record
“Vols. 1 and 2 Now Ready. TRICE PER VOLUME— Cloth, 82.00. Sheep, $2.25. Hail Calf, $3.00. Those Invaluable commentaries will be given to the public at short intervals, com- mencing with the GOSPELS. Perhaps no modern commentator has been roceived with more confidence and affection by the pious and intelligent…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names