Prince (English)

Where does "Prince" come from?

The word 'Prince' began with the Latin 'princeps', meaning 'first taker' or 'chief', which evolved from terms for 'first' and 'to take'. It traveled through Old French as 'prince' before entering English, eventually shifting from a formal title of royalty to a common surname and given name based on one's character or occupation.

Updated May 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris