Prosser (surname)

Prosser is an English-language surname, derived from a Welsh-language patronym.

Origin
The English-language surname Prosser is considered to be a Welsh surname. The name originated as an Anglicisation of the Welsh-language ap Rhosier, or ap Rosser, both meaning son of Roger.

The English-language personal name Roger is derived from the Old French personal name Roger, Rogier. This personal name is of Germanic origin, derived from the elements hrōd ("fame") and gār, gēr ("spear"). The Old French name was adopted by the Normans, and was introduced into Britain by them in the Middle Ages (replacing the Old English cognate Hrōðgār). The name became one of the most popular masculine names in the Middle Ages, and lost popularity afterwards.

Until the Tudor period Welsh names generally took the format X son of Y, or X daughter of Y. The Old Welsh word for son was map, but it lenited to fap (today fab), then ap. Although some of the Welsh gentry began to adopt the English fashion for hereditary surnames even before the Act of Union between England and Wales in 1536, in general the Act marked the beginning of a gradual shift towards hereditary surnames in Wales that was not complete until the 18th century. In some cases ap was merged into the following personal name to create an hereditary name. So Ap Richard became Pritchard, ap Even became Bevan and ap Hugh emerged as Pugh. The shift from ap Rosser to Prosser is of this pattern, though the surname Rosser also occurs. The distribution of Prosser and Rosser in 1842-46 was strongly centred in south-east Wales, and largely absent from other parts of Wales.

Early examples of the surname include:


 * 1529 Richard ap Rosser was a party to two deeds relating to 'a mansion place called the Van' in Senghenydd.
 * 1556 Morgan Lewis ap Rosser was a party to a grant of land in Llywell, Co. Brecon.

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

England and Wales
Ancestry.com's distribution map, based on their data from the 1891 England and Wales Census, shows Prossers were strongly present in southeast Wales and the western counties of England. Particularly high concentrations were in the Welsh historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire and the English county of Herefordshire.

Germany
German Prossers are primarily found in southern Germany.

Italy
The Italian Gens Project shows there are a small number of Prossers living in Italy. Their distribution map results show that the Prossers are concentrated in the northernmost province, Alto Adige/Südtirol.

United States
Current distribution maps from the Gens Project in the United States based on the 2000 US 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. Using data based on 142 Prosser immigrants to New York, the vast majority departed from Great Britain, while 11 are from Ireland and 21 from Germany.

Notable people with the surname Prosser

 * Anna Weed Prosser (1846–1902), American evangelist; daughter of Erastus S. Prosser
 * Beverly Prosser Gelwick (1932–2023), American psychologist
 * Bob Prosser, Welsh rugby union and rugby league player in the 1960s and 1970s
 * Dai Prosser (1912–1973), Welsh rugby union and rugby league player
 * David Prosser (bishop) (1868–1950), Welsh bishop, Archbishop of Wales 1944–49
 * David Prosser Jr. (born 1942), American jurist and politician, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
 * Erastus S. Prosser (1809–1887), American politician from New York
 * Gabriel Prosser (1776–1800), rebel slave in 1800 Virginia
 * Geoff Prosser (born 1948), Australian politician
 * George Henry Prosser (1867–1941), Australian businessman and politician
 * Glyn Prosser (1907–1972), Welsh international rugby player
 * Gwyn Prosser (born 1943), British politician
 * Halley H. Prosser (1870–1921), American politician from Michigan
 * Hugh Prosser (1900–1952), American film actor
 * Ian Prosser (born 1943), British businessman
 * Ian Prosser (florist) (born 1957), Scottish born American florist
 * Inez Beverly Prosser (1897–1934), American teacher and school administrator
 * Joseph Prosser (1828–1867), Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Julien Prosser (born 1972), Australian beach volleyball player
 * Keith Prosser, (1897–1954), Bishop of Burnley
 * Luke Prosser (born 1988), English footballer
 * Margaret Prosser, Baroness Prosser (born 1937), British peer and politician
 * Mrs. Prosser (1807–1882), British sentimental Victorian author
 * Patrick Prosser (born 1952), Scottish computer scientist
 * Ray Prosser (1927–2020), Welsh rugby player with Pontypool
 * Richard Prosser (priest) (1748–1839), English priest
 * Richard Bissell Prosser (1838–1918), English patent examiner and biographical writer
 * Richard Prosser (born 1967), New Zealand politician
 * Roy Prosser (1942–2008), Australian Rugby Union player
 * Seward Prosser (1871–1942), American banker and philanthropist
 * Skip Prosser (1950–2007), American college basketball coach
 * Stuart Prosser (1887–1939), Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer
 * William Prosser, Lord Prosser (1934–2015), Scottish judge
 * William Farrand Prosser (1834–1911), American politician
 * William Henry Prosser (1870–1952), Welsh cricketer
 * William Lloyd Prosser (1898–1972), American legal scholar