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.

Descendants and derived words

Updated May 2026

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