Price is a patronymic name derived from the Welsh "ap Rhys" meaning "son of Rhys". The given name Rhys means "enthusiasm" in Welsh. It is a common surname among those of Welsh ancestry.[1] At the time of the British Census of 1881,[2] its frequency was highest in Radnorshire (38.2 times the British average), followed by Brecknockshire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Flintshire, Shropshire, Denbighshire, Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and Worcestershire. The surname has many other spellings including Priess, Priesz, and many others.
The name is thought to have originally been spelled "Pryce" and pronounced "Preese". Name experts believe that the change of the "y" to "i" and the subsequent change in pronunciation was originally an affectation meant to make the name seem more English and therefore more prestigious.[3]
Notable people named Price
- Adam Price (born 1968), Welsh politician
- Alan Price (born 1942), English musician, songwriter and actor
- Alan R. Price (born 1942), American health academic
- Alfred Douglas Price (1860–1921), African American businessperson and community leader
- Allen Price (born 1968), Welsh footballer
- Alex Price (born 1985), British actor
- Anthony Price (1928–2019), English author of espionage thrillers
- Austin Price (born 1995), American basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
- Ben Price (born 1972), British actor, director and writer
- Berwyn Price (1951), former Welsh athlete
- Betty Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Betsy Price (born 1949), American politician
- Billy Price (actor) (born 2000), English actor
- Billy Price (American football) (born 1995), American football player
- Birgitte Price (1934–1997), Danish actress
- Bobby Price (born 1998), American football player
- Brendan Price, English actor
- Bruce Price (1845–1903), architect of many of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Château-type stations and hotels
- Bryan Price (born 1962), American baseball coach
- Clayton Sumner Price (1874–1950), western artist
- Carey Price (born 1987), Canadian hockey goaltender playing for the Montreal Canadiens
- Cecil Price (1938–2001), deputy sheriff and conspirator in the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner
- Cedric Price (1934–2003), English architect and teacher and writer on architecture
- Charles H. Price II (1931–2012), American businessman and former Ambassador of the United States
- Charles Melvin Price (1905–1988), United States Congressman
- Charlotte Price White (1873–1932), Welsh suffragist and politician
- Christopher Price (disambiguation), various people
- Cicero Price (1805–1888), United States Navy commodore
- Claire Price (born 1972), English actress
- Clinton G. Price (1864–1937), American politician and lawyer
- Craig Price:
- Craig Chandler Price (born 1973), American serial killer
- Craig Price (born 1989), Welsh rugby union player
- Dale Price (1924–1997), Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
- Daniel Price (disambiguation) (or Danny Price), multiple people
- David Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Denham Price (1940–2013), South African cricketer
- Dennis Price (1915–1973), English actor
- Derek J. de Solla Price (1922–1983), science historian and information scientist
- Devon Price, American social psychologist and writer
- Dick Price (1930–1985), co-founder of Esalen Institute
- Dilys Price (1932–2020), Welsh educator, parachutist, and model
- Dionne Price, African-American statistician
- Dolours Price (1951–2013), Irish Republican
- Dorothy Price (1890–1954), Irish physician
- Dorothy Price (1899–1980), American physiologist and endocrinologist
- Dorothy Cilla Price (born 1969), British art historian and academic
- D'Vonte Price (born 1999), American football player
- Eddie Price Sr. (1925–1979), Tulane University Green Wave and NFL running back
- Eddie Price III (born 1953), Louisiana elected official
- Ed Price (Louisiana politician) (born 1953), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- E. Hoffmann Price (1898–1988), writer of popular fiction
- Ejuan Price (born 1993), American football player
- Eli Kirk Price (1797–1884), first commissioner of Fairmount Park
- Eli Kirk Price II (1860–1933), noted Philadelphian
- Elizabeth Price (gymnast) (born 1996), American gymnast and London 2012 Reserve
- Ernest B. Price (1890–1973), American diplomat in China
- Ethel Clay Price (1874–1943), American nurse and socialite
- Eugenia Price (1916–1996), American historical novelist
- Evadne Price (1888–1985), Australian-British freelance journalist, columnist, author, playwright, actor, television presenter, screenwriter, and astrologer
- Florence Price (1887–1953), African-American classical composer
- Four Price, or Walter Thomas Price IV (born 1967), member of the Texas House of Representatives
- Dr. Frederick K.C. Price (1932–2021), American pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center
- Gary Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- George Cadle Price (1919–2011), the first Prime Minister of Belize and the architect of that country's independence
- George Lawrence Price (1892–1918), Canadian soldier who is traditionally recognized as being the last soldier killed during the First World War
- George McCready Price (1870–1963), Canadian creationist
- George Price (New Yorker cartoonist) (1901–1995), American cartoonist
- George R. Price (1922–1975), American population geneticist
- Gerwyn Price (born 1985), Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer
- Glenn D. Price (born 1955), Canadian conductor of music
- Grenfell Price (1892–1977), Australian historian and geographer
- Griffith Baley Price (1905–2006), American mathematician
- Gwilym A. Price (1895–1985), American lawyer, banker, and industrialist
- Harry Price (1881–1948), British researcher of psychical phenomena
- Harry Price (Royal Navy) (1877–1965), British sailor and author
- Haydn Price (1883–1964), Welsh international footballer
- Henry Bertram Price (1869–1941), Governor of Guam
- Henry Habberley Price (1899–1984), British philosopher
- Ivan "Hopey" Price (born 2000), British boxer
- Huw Price (born 1953), Australian philosopher
- James Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jean Price (1943–2019), American politician
- Jennifer Price, British archaeologist
- Jesse Price (1863–1939), American politician
- Jesse Price (1909–1974), American jazz drummer
- Jessica Price, American writer, editor, designer and producer of video and tabletop games
- Jim Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jo Price (born 1985), Welsh rugby union player and former footballer
- Joe Hannah (born 1958), West coast ice cream salesmen
- John Lloyd Price (1882–1941) Australian politician and son of South Australian Premier
- Joseph Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Julian Price, American business executive
- Julie Price (bassoonist), English bassoonist
- Katie Price (born 1978), British model and media personality
- Keith Price (born 1991), American football player
- Kenneth Price (1935–2012), American artist
- Kenny Price (1931–1987), American country music singer-songwriter
- Larme Price (born 1972), American serial killer
- Leontyne Price (born 1927), American opera singer
- Lindsay Price (born 1976), American actress
- Lionel Price (1927–2019), British basketball player
- Llewellyn Ivor Price (1905–1980), Brazilian paleontologist
- Lloyd Price (1933–2021), American R&B and rock and roll musician
- Makayla Gilliam-Price, American social activist
- Margaret Price (1941–2011), Welsh soprano
- Margo Price (born 1983), American country singer
- Marian Price (born 1954), Irish Republican
- Maribeth Price (born 1963), American geologist and planetary scientist
- Mark Price, former NBA basketball player
- Martin Price (numismatist) (1939–1995), British numismatist
- Mary Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Matthew Price, British journalist
- Mick Price (snooker player) (born 1966), professional snooker player
- Mike Price (born 1946), American football coach
- Nick Price (born 1957), professional golfer
- Niko Price, UFC fighter
- Peerless Price (born 1976), American football wide receiver
- Peter Price (politician) (born 1946), Honorary MEP and member of the European Strategy Council
- Rachael Price (born 1985), American jazz and blues singer
- Rayford Price (1937–2023), American politician
- Raymond Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rebecca Lane Pennypacker Price (1837–1919), American nurse
- Reynolds Price (1933–2011), American man of letters
- Richard H. Price, leading American physicist
- Richard Price (1723–1791), Welsh philosopher
- Richard Price (writer) (born 1949), American novelist and screenwriter
- Rick Price, Australian singer
- Rick Price (bassist), English bassist
- Rick Price (golfer), American professional golfer
- Ritch Price, American college baseball coach
- Robert M. Price (born 1954), American New Testament scholar
- Robert Price (attorney), American attorney, investment banker and corporate executive
- Rodman M. Price (1816–1894), American Democratic Party politician
- Roger Price (Australian politician) (born 1945), Australian politician
- Roger Price (comedy) (1918–1990), American comedy writer best known for his collaborations with Leonard Stern on Mad Libs
- Roger Price (television producer) (born 1941), British television producer
- Ronnie Price, professional basketball player
- Sarah Price (swimmer) (born 1979), former backstroke swimmer from the United Kingdom
- Sarah Price (filmmaker) (born 1970), Welsh director, producer, musician, author, playwright, actor, comedian and screenwriter
- Scott Price, Nebraska state senator
- Sean Price (1972–2015), American rapper, one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah
- Sherwood Price (1928–2020), American film and television actor
- Sol Price (1916–2009), American businessman
- Sophie Price (born 1989), British model
- Sterling Price, Confederate major general during the American Civil War
- Steve Price, Australian rugby league footballer
- T. Douglas Price (born 1945), American archaeologist
- Terry Price (disambiguation), multiple people
- Thomas Price (1852–1909), mason and lay preacher who became the first Labour premier of South Australia
- Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) (1787–1848), historian and a major Welsh literary figure of the early 19th century
- Thomas Rowe Price, Jr. (1898–1983), American investment banker and proponent of growth investment
- Tom Price (actor), one of the stars of the Five comedy sketch show Swinging
- Tom Price (ice hockey) (born 1954), former ice hockey player
- Tom Price (American politician) (born 1954), American politician
- Tom Pryce (1949–1977), 1970's Formula One Driver
- Vincent Price (1911–1993), American actor
- Walter Thomas Price IV (born 1967), Texas politician
- William A. Price, American journalist who worked as the police reporter for the New York Daily News from 1940 to 1955
- William Evan Price (1827–1880), Quebec businessman and political figure
- William H. Price, Co-Founder of Chandler & Price
- William Herbert Price, Attorney General of Ontario from 1926 to 1934 and Treasurer from 1923 to 1926
- William Price (doctor) (1800–1893), physician and eccentric
- William Price (industrialist) (1860–1938), farmer and industrialist
- William Price (Rugby MP) (1934–1999), British Labour politician
- William Price (Royalist colonel) (1619–1691), Royalist colonel in the English Civil War
- William Ray Price Jr., judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri
In fiction
- Fanny Price, protagonist of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
- Homer Price, a children's book character
- Eglantine Price, a witch in search of the Amulet of Astoroth in the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
- Captain John Price, fictional leader of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment in the 2007 video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Chloe Price, a character in the 2015 video game, Life Is Strange, and the protagonist of its 2017 prequel, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.
- Derek, Dilys and Norman Price from Fireman Sam
- Tim and Caroline Price, parents of Alex Drake (née Price), a main character of a UK TV-show Life on Mars's sequel Ashes to Ashes.
- Dolores Price, protagonist of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
See also
References
- ↑ An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857
- ↑ "Price Surname Meaning". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2014
- ↑ Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. ISBN 0–19-211592-8 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid character.