Price surname meaning

Price is a Welsh patronymic formed from ap Rhys, literally “son of Rhys.” Welsh ap names were frequently compressed when they became hereditary surnames: ap Rhys could settle as Price, while other lines retained forms such as Pryce or Preece.

Rhys is a Welsh personal name often glossed as enthusiasm or ardor. That deeper gloss belongs to the ancestor’s given name; Price itself records descent. The surname became common in Wales and neighboring border counties before spreading through English-speaking migration. Type parent's name is direct, and the ordinary spelling should not be mistaken for the English word “price” when tracing a family’s origin.