Pringles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Pringles

What does the name Pringles mean?

Pringles was first used as a surname by the descendents of the ancient Boernician clans of Scotland. The Pringles family lived in a place near Stow Roxburghshire, called Hopringle or Pringle. As such, Pringles is a habitation name, a category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The place name comes from the Old English word hop which referred to an "enclosed valley," and Prjónn, an Old Norse name comprised of components which mean peg and ravine. Thus, the original bearer of the surname came from an area noted for an enclosed valley or a ravine.

However some sources presume the name to be derived from "pilgrim," as "they bear in their arms the escallop shells or badges of pilgrims to the Holy Land." 1 2

Pringles Coat of Arms Creation

In the works of Sir George Mackenzie, Vol. II., p. 611, it is said that Pringle of Galashiels had five golden escallops (the bi-valve scallop) in his shield, and this shell was usually worn by those who were pilgrims. Nisbet's Heraldry, published in Edinburgh in 1722, says that the first ancestor of the Pringles is said to be Pelerin, a famous pilgrim to the Holy Land, who came to Scotland, and his descendants were first called Pilgrims, and afterwards, by corruption, Pringle.

The oldest family of the name is " Hop Pringle of that ilk," whose crest was a scallop, and the motto, " Amicitia reddit honores " (Friendship gives honours). King David Bruce gave the lands belonging to Walter de Pringle, forfeited, to William Pitilock Miles.

One branch of the Pringles had as crest a man's heart with wings; motto, " Sursum (Upward). Another, an anchor within a garland of bay leaves; motto, " Semper spero meliora " (I always hope for better things).

Every branch of the Pringles has scallop shells in its shield. 3

Early Origins of the Pringles family

The surname Pringles was first found in Roxburghshire, where the first Chief on record was Robert de Hoppryngil who witnessed a deed by King Alexander III of Scotland in 1250 A.D. Forty-six years later, Ellys Obringkel was Bishop of St. Andrews, and rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. His seal bore a hunting horn. About this time they acquired the Clan territories near Stow and they became close allies of the Black Douglases. 4

"The little silver coin called a pringle, formerly minted in Scotland, and of about the value of an English penny, may have derived its name from one of this family." 5

Early History of the Pringles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pringles research. Another 426 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1368, 1406, 1450, 1455, 1485, 1513, 1568, 1580, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1631, 1664, 1667, 1689, 1736 and 1976 are included under the topic Early Pringles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pringles Spelling Variations

In the many years before the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries, names and other words were spelled according to sound, often differently with each person who wrote them. Spelling variations of Pringles include Pringle, Pringell, Prindle, Hopringle and others.

Early Notables of the Pringles family

Notable among the family at this time was

George Pringle (1631-1689), of Torwoodlee, eldest son of James Pringle of Torwoodlee. The Pringles of Torwoodlee, Selkirkshire, are descended from the Pringles of Snailholm, Roxburghshire, the first o...
Walter Pringle (1625-1667), of Greenknowe, Berwickshire, Scottish Covenanter, was the third son of Robert Pringle, first of Stitchel, Roxburghshire. The Pringles of Stitchel were descended from the Ho...

Migration of the Pringles family to Ireland

Some of the Pringles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 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 Pringles family

In many cases, the ancestors of many of these Boernician-Scottish people are just now learning of their Scottish heritage. Since the trip was so arduous, and many were fleeing from poverty itself, settlers brought little with them and often had nothing of their personal history to hand down to their children. Clan societies and highland games have helped to correct this problem in the 20th century. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Pringless to arrive on North American shores: John and William Pringle settled in Maryland in 1775; James Pringle settled in Jamaica in 1774; Capt. Pringle, 27th Regiment (Rogers Rangers) who was stationed in Ticonderoga and led an assault on Quebec in 1758. George Pringle settled in Philadelphia in 1774.

Sources +

Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.