21,107 Global PRITCHETT Family Members

PRITCHETT Family History

This interesting surname, with variant spellings Prichet, Pritchitt, Pritchett, Prickett, Pritchatt, etc., derives from the Middle English 'prik(e)' or 'prich' (Old English pre 7th Century 'pric(a)') meaning point or prick, plus the diminutive suffix 'ett'. Originally, it would have been a metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of any of various pointed instruments. It may also have been a nickname for a tall thin man. The creation of surnames from nicknames was a common practice in the Middle Ages, and many modern-day surnames derive from the medieval nicknames referring to personal characteristics, as in this instance, the tall thin one.