Prendergast Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Prendergast Family History

Prendergast Family History

The family history of the ancient name Prendergast was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Prendergast include Pendergast, Pender, Pendegrass, Pendergrast, Pendergrass, Prendeville, Penderville, Pendergest and Penderghest. The original families of this name arrived in Ireland with the Strongbow invasion of the twelfth century. Maurice de Prendergast was one of the leading Anglo-Norman invaders who obtained extensive grants of lands in various parts of the South and West of the country. His descendants were seated near Waterford and in South Mayo, districts in which the name has always been found. In 1598 they are listed as among the leading gentry of Counties Waterford, Wexford, and Tipperary. Notable people of the name were John Patrick Prendergast, 1808-1893, author of the 'Cromwellian Settlement of Ireland', and Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1660-1709, who was a Jacobite who betrayed an anti-Williamite plot. The Prendergast family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Prendergast descendants.