Prosser (name)

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There are two etymologies for the surname/family name Prosser, one Welsh and one middle European. Both etymologies are more or less equally ancient, going back to early mediaeval times, circa 600-1100 a.d.

The Welsh etymology is best known in the United States, because it is the only one listed in dictionaries detailing the meanings and origins of various names. As a result, many Prossers from a Germanic and Northern European background mistakenly believe themselves to be of Welsh extraction. Nevertheless, most Prosser lines in the United States go back to Ireland and Wales.

The Welsh Origin of the Prosser Family Name: Derived from the Welsh name ap'Rosyr (that is, “Son of Rosser” which is itself derived from Old Norse Rhosier which means “renown for his sword” (or spear) and was first introduced to Wales via the Norman Invasion, of which the Rhosier clan played no small part.

The Germanic Origin of the Prosser Family Name: An agricultural occupational name derived from the Latin verb “Prospero” which, depending on its conjugation, can mean “to bring forth or produce by sowing” or “to stretch forth and extend” (meanings taken from A Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short). The name of the Roman agricultural goddess Proserpine (or Proserpina) is derived from the same source.

Prossers with this name origin can be found in Germany, especially southern Germany and Bavaria, and other countries historically under German influence, such as Austria, Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and northern Italy.


Contents

[edit] Name Distribution

There are various sources for Surname maps charting the geographic distribution of surnames.

England and Wales

A chart at ancestry.com shows the name’s distribution in England and Wales in 1891.

Germany

Current (2006) surname maps based on telephone records for the name Prosser in Germany demonstrate that the name is primarily found in southern Germany, with 32.7% of Prossers residing in Bavaria, and 31.4% of Prossers residing in Baden-Württemberg.

Italy

The concentration of the name in northern Italy is borne out by the Gens Project established by the University of Genoa. Their distribution maps demonstrate that the highest number of Prossers in Italy is in Italy's northernmost province, Alta Adigo.

United States

Search results from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that the name Prosser ranks as the 4,085th most common surname in the United States, meaning that about 60 percent of United States surnames are more common than Prosser.

Current distribution maps from the Gens Project in the United States based on the 2000 United States census demonstrate that the name is most common in eight states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, while still numbering less than a thousand individuals in each of those states.

Ancestry.com has a surname map for the name's distribution according to the United States Census for 1920. At that time, the name Prosser was most common in six states: California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, with a total of 93-183 Prosser households in each state.

[edit] Other Demographic Information

Charts also exist for top places of origin for the name Prosser; ports of departure for the name Prosser; and the average life expectancy for people with the name Prosser since 1950.

Names of people with the surname Prosser can be found anyware in the mentioned parts of Europe and have very normal forenames such as George, Andrew, Colin or Matthew Prosser


[edit] Prosser as a Word

1. According to the 2003 book Popular Culture and Performance in the Victorian City by Peter Bailey, in the Victorian age over-insistent demanders of tips were often called “prossers.” (Page 65: “Musicians seem to have suffered most (which may have accounted for their reputation as particularly importunate demanders of tips or ‘prossers’[...])”.)

2. A common misspelling of or abbreviation for processor, as in “word prosser” and “food prosser.”


[edit] Prossers in the Nobility

While the source of this information is not at hand, the present author has seen references in the past to Counts Prosser in mediaeval Denmark. Anyone who knows of any documented titles of nobility including the name Prosser is encouraged to add this information.


[edit] Eminent Prossers

[edit] Prossers with another surname

  • Prosser Gifford. Scholar and educator.
  • Seward Prosser Mellon. Heir to Prosser and Mellon fortunes.


[edit] Prossers in Fiction

Early 20th Century:

P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and Wooster novels and stories. Character: Oofy Prosser, an upper-class twit, a millionaire member of the Drones Club. It may be due to this character that the name is considered upper-middle-class in England (i.e., upper-class in American terms).

1977:

Lloyd Pye, That Prosser Kid. The hero of the book, a college football quarterback, is named Prosser.

1979:

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy. Character: Mr. L. Prosser, descendant of Genghis Khan and motorways contractor hired to level of the house of the book’s hero, Arthur Dent.

1986:

Julian Barnes, Staring At the Sun. Character: Sgt. Thomas Prosser, a fighter in the Battle of Britain and the love of a young woman, Jean Serjeant.

[edit] Prosser Products

  • Thomas H. Prosser & Sons. Tennis rackets.
  • Prosser beads. In the 19th century, these glass and ceramic beads were created using the technology of a button-making machine invented by a pair of Prosser brothers in Bohemia in the 1830s. By the 1860s virtually all beads were produced using this method. All Prosser beads include a thin seam. The beads were introduced into the American west and often used as wampum for trade with the American Indians, who then incorporated the beads into their crafts. As trade beads, they are sometimes also known as Prosser trade beads. In African trade, they are known as "kankanmba" or "kancamba."
  • Prosser Pumps. Prosser submersible pumps are used for "dewatering," in mine situations for example. They are now produced by the Crane Company and the name is trademarked by that company.
  • The Prosser Twin-Cylinder Freight Car, created by the Prosser Twin Cylinder Car Company, established in Chicago, Illinois in the late 1870s.
  • The Wonder Shredder and Grater by Dixon Prosser Inc., a food grater produced circa 1931.


[edit] Prosser Institutions

  • Charles Allen Prosser Career Academy, a public secondary school in Chicago, Illinois.


[edit] Prosser Tartan

There is a Welsh Tartan for the names Rosser and Prosser. It is primarily red in color, with green and black as secondary colors.


[edit] Prosser Places

Prosser Cities:

[edit] Prosser Natural Landmarks

  • Prosser (name), Natural Landmarks

[edit] Prosser Street Names:

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