Variant of Price, from Welsh 'ap Rhys' meaning 'son of Rhys (ardor, enthusiasm).'
Pryce is a Welsh surname variant of Price, which itself is an Anglicization of the Welsh patronymic *ap Rhys* — meaning 'son of Rhys.' Rhys is one of the oldest and most distinguished Welsh names, derived from the Old Welsh *Ris*, meaning 'enthusiasm,' 'ardor,' or 'passion.' It was borne by Rhys ap Tewdwr, the eleventh-century king of Deheubarth, and Rhys ap Gruffudd (known as The Lord Rhys), the powerful twelfth-century prince who presided over a golden age of Welsh culture and is credited with hosting the first recorded Eisteddfod in 1176.
When Welsh names passed through the English administrative system, *ap Rhys* compressed into Price and then into Pryce, the P absorbing the *ap* prefix entirely. As a given name, Pryce carries that long Welsh lineage into the present, trading the surname's genealogical function for something more personal and expressive. The most prominent contemporary bearer is Jonathan Pryce, the Welsh actor whose career has ranged from Broadway musicals (*Miss Saigon*) to the *Pirates of the Caribbean* films to *Game of Thrones*, where he played the High Sparrow.
His presence across such varied cultural landscapes has kept the name before a wide audience. The Pryce spelling, with its -ce ending, gives the name a slightly more formal and visually distinctive appearance than Price, and signals Welsh heritage to those familiar with the convention. As a given name it sits in an interesting position: clearly surname-derived in the mode that has been fashionable for decades, yet anchored in genuine Celtic history rather than invented out of whole cloth. For families with Welsh roots or those simply drawn to names with strong consonants and deep roots, Pryce offers an understated distinction — ardor compressed into a single syllable.