Priest Family History
Priest Name Meaning
English (mainly West Midlands): nickname from Middle English pr(i)est ‘minister of the Church’ (Old English prēost from Latin presbyter Greek presbyteros ‘elder counselor’ comparative of presbys ‘old man’). It may have denoted someone with a pious manner or possibly for someone who had played the part of a priest in a pageant. It may occasionally have been used to denote someone suspected of being the son of a priest but evidence for this is lacking.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022