Surname Prather - Meaning and Origin
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Exploring Maternal Lineage and Building Connections: My iGENEA DNA Test Experience
Using the iGENEA DNA test, I explored the ancient roots of the Prather surname, traced them back to the Vikings and Celtics, and even connected with distant relatives in real-time. This exercise wasn't purely academic, but a deep dive into a part of my identity I'd previously left unexplored.
X. Prather
read morePrather: What does the surname Prather mean?
The surname Prather is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from an old English word, "prætt," which means a trick or crafty undertaking. Hence, a "prætt" refers to a trickster. The name Prather is thought to be occupational, implying that an ancestor of the namesake was most likely a jester or an entertainer at a court, skilled in performing tricks or referred to as someone crafty and cunning. Over time, it became a family name passed down through generations. Despite its roots in the United Kingdom, the name has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and colonization, with variants and similar sounding names coined in different cultures and languages.
Order DNA origin analysisPrather: Where does the name Prather come from?
The last name Prather is commonly found in the United States. It can be found in many states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and particularly in the southern states of Florida and Georgia. The Prather last name originated in Britain and France, and the name can be found in other countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, Prather is primarily a surname of English, Scottish, and Irish descent, although there are some Native American families with the name. The Prather name can be found in many places, and is most prominent in the Appalachian Mountains region of the United States.
According to the 2010 US Census, the Prather family name was the 13,273rd most common surname in the United States and the 670th most common last name in Georgia. While the Prather name is not as common as it once was, it is still a widely found in the US. Prathers who wish to learn more about their family history can use the US Census records, or other genealogical websites such as Ancestry.com, to uncover more information about their family's background.
Variations of the surname Prather
The surname Prather has several variants, spellings and surnames of similar origin. Some of the most common variations are Prather, Prayther, Prether, Preyther, Pratherson, Pretherson, Prytherson, Prathers, Prethers, Prythers, Prathery, Prethery, Prythery, Pratherson, Pretherson, Prytherson, and Pratherson.
Prather is believed to originate from a location-based surname, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century phrase 'Praet Eor'. This phrase roughly translates to 'rabbit bank', perhaps an area in a riverbank where rabbits may have been likely to inhabit.
A variant spelling of Prather is Prayther. This may have developed from 'Pray the Moore', an old Scottish hands-on phrase. It may also have derived from a corruption of the Dutch name "Preijter", meaning priest.
Pratherson is a patronymic form of the name, meaning "son of Prather".
The Welsh surname Prether, or Pryther, is derived from "ap Siartryth", meaning "son of Siartryth". This ancient Welsh name likely originates from the Old Welsh first name "Siartryth" which means "keeper".
Other spellings, such as Prethers and Prethery, are likely advances of the original "Prather" form. This is a common occurrence in surnames, as generations of people continued to advance the spelling of their name to more modern forms.
Overall, the surname Prather originates from Olde English and Old Welsh sources, and it has many spellings and surnames of similar origins.
Famous people with the name Prather
- Dionne Prather: an American singer-songwriter best known for singing backup on hits such as “Love Hangover” and “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me” by Barry White.
- Joe Prather: a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1976-1980.
- J. Frank Prather: an American lawyer and jurist best known for serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1878 to 1882.
- Ben Prather: an American actor best known for his portrayal of Sheriff Justin White on the long running western series Gunsmoke.
- Jackie Prather: an American professional golfer who competed on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Phil Prather: an American macroeconomist and professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Willie Prather: an American Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction best known for writing The Reapers of Babylon in 1952.
- Darnell Prather: a professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 1994 and spent most of his career with the Golden State Warriors.
- Joseph Prather: a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky, serving from 1881 to 1889.
- Michael Prather: an American landscape painter best known for his impressionistic style and was a part of a group of artists known as the Sea Island Painters.