PRINGLE
Pringle is a surname of Scottish origin, predominantly situated within the British Isles. Its earliest attestations appear in the thirteenth century, linked to the lands of Hoppringel near Stow in former Roxburghshire. The name is traditionally regarded as locational, deriving from the Old English word hop, meaning an enclosed valley or ravine, and the Norse personal name Prjonn, together with the suffix gil which again denotes an enclosed valley.
Early written records show variations including Hoppryngel, Hoppringle, Hopringle and Obrinkel. In 1265, Sir Robert de Hoppryngil witnessed a land charter, marking the first known use of the family name. By 1368 the name appears in the Great Seal of Scotland as Thomas de Oppringyl, and a later form, John Pryngel, is recorded in 1406 in the chartulary of St. Andrew's Priory. The spelling that resembles present usage first emerges in the early fourteenth century with John Pryngel of Fife.
The Pringle family formed a recognised Scottish clan chiefly situated in the Lowlands and the Borders. The clan is historically noted as one of the so‑called riding clans, renowned for their horsemanship and defence of the frontier. Their heraldic achievement, granted to the Pringles of Stichill in 1683, consists of an azure field charged with three gold escallops, the badge of a pilgrim.
In the 1881 census the surname was ranked as the sixty‑first most common name in Scotland, with 16,007 individuals bearing it. The name remains common in the United Kingdom and, through emigration, is also found in Canada, the United States—particularly the north‑eastern states—Australia and other countries. The distribution patterns suggest that most contemporary bearers can trace their ancestry to the Lowland estates of the original clan.
Several variants of the name are documented, reflecting spelling differences over time. These include Pringle, Prengle, Printgle, Prengel, Prengell, Pringlea, Pringel and further forms such as Printall, Printle, Pringlee, Pringleman, Pringley. Related surnames derived from the same root appear in other linguistic contexts, such as Princell, Prynsell, Princeller, Printsell, Prinsell, a Germanic variant Pringel, an Irish form Printlee, and even a Norman link through Prins meaning lion. These variations illustrate the widespread adaptation of the original Celtic and Norse elements into diverse linguistic traditions.
Typical given names associated with the Pringle surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Catherine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Pringle in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 7,470 people named Pringle in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,255th most common surname in Britain. Around 115 in a million people in Britain are named Pringle.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Pringle
- Ben Pringle - Football player
- Bryan Pringle - 1935-2002 British actor (1935 to 2002)
- Derek Pringle - Cricket player of England.
- David Pringle - Scottish science fiction editor
- Anne Pringle - Diplomat
- Steuart Pringle - General and baronet (1928 to 2013)
- James E. Pringle - Physicist
- Thomas Pringle - Scottish writer, poet, abolitionist (1789 to 1834)
- Ryan Pringle - Cricketer
- John William Sutton Pringle - Zoologist (1912 to 1982)
- Nick Pringle - Cricketer
- Caitlin Pringle - Badminton player
- Harry Pringle - Football player (1900 to 1965)
- Alex Pringle - Scottish football player
- William Pringle - Politician (1874 to 1928)
- James Pringle - Member of Parliament (1874 to 1935)
- Sir John Pringle, 1st Baronet - Scottish physician (1707 to 1782)
- Charlie Pringle - Football player
- William Pringle - Football player (1932 to 1)
- John Douglas Pringle - Scottish-born Australian journalist and editor (1912 to 1999)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.