Price Surname

Meaning and origin of the surname Price

Patronymic surname derived from the Welsh ap Rhys, meaning 'son of Rhys' (from Rhys, 'ardor', 'enthusiasm', or 'rash valor').

Historically and linguistically, Price belongs to the Welsh and Celtic family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "PRYS".

United States Census frequency and ranking

In the official 2010 United States Census, Price was recorded 235,251 times, ranking as the 91st most common surname in the nation.

This represents an incidence rate of approximately 79.75 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 1,254 residents.

Race and ethnicity distribution

According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Pricereported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.

History of the surname Price

Price is a distinguished Welsh patronymic surname contracted from the Welsh patronymic formula ap Rhys or ab Rhys, signifying 'son of Rhys'. The indigenous Celtic personal name Rhys conveys the heroic qualities of 'ardor', 'fervor', 'enthusiasm', or 'impetuous valor'. Over generations, the patronymic preposition ap ('son of') assimilated into the initial consonant of the father's name, producing the contracted hereditary surnames Price, Preece, and Pryce.

The personal name Rhys was borne by several paramount rulers of medieval Wales, notably Rhys ap Tewdwr (died 1093), King of Deheubarth, and his grandson the Lord Rhys (Rhys ap Gruffydd, 1132–1197), who unified south Wales during the Norman wars. Following the Acts of Union in 1536 under King Henry VIII, Welsh gentry adopted fixed family names; early anglicized legal records chronicle John ap Rhys, who served as a royal visitor of monasteries, alongside Price families established across Breconshire, Radnorshire, and Glamorgan.

Early maritime documents record Price settlers founding homesteads in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania during the seventeenth century, with substantial Welsh Quaker immigration establishing deep roots in the Welsh Tract near Philadelphia. The surname featured prominently in American cultural and artistic history through opera soprano Leontyne Price, pioneering composer Florence Price, and actor Vincent Price. In the 2010 United States Census, Price ranked 91st nationwide with 235,251 recorded bearers, displaying balanced demographic distribution across the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic.

Notable people with the surname Price

• Vincent Price (1911–1993), American actor known for his distinctive voice and performances in classic horror films
• Leontyne Price (1927–), American soprano and 19-time Grammy winner, leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera
• David Price (1985–), American MLB pitcher, Cy Young Award winner, and World Series champion
• Florence Price (1887–1953), American classical composer, pianist, and first African-American woman symphony composer