Ap'pritchard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Ap'pritchard

What does the name Ap'pritchard mean?

The Welsh Brythonic-Celtic name Ap'pritchard is a patronymic surname created from the personal name Richard. The surname features the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ap-," which means "son of." The original form of the name was ap-Richard, but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time, and the overall spelling has sometimes been altered.

Early Origins of the Ap'pritchard family

The surname Ap'pritchard was first found in Cardiganshire (Welsh: Sir Aberteifi), the former Kingdom of Ceredigion, created as a county in 1282 by Edward I, and located on the West coast of Wales, where they were descended from Gwaeth Voed, Lord of Cardigan, and Ivor, the King of Gwent. They were resident at Ywch Aeron, and seated from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Ap'pritchard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ap'pritchard research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1890 is included under the topic Early Ap'pritchard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ap'pritchard Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Ap'pritchard has occasionally been spelled Uprichard, Aprichard and others.

Early Notables of the Ap'pritchard family

More information is included under the topic Early Ap'pritchard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ap'pritchard family to Ireland

Some of the Ap'pritchard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ap'pritchard family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Ap'pritchard John Uprichard arrived in Pennsylvania in 1860.