Daily Ancestorproavus
Proavus is Latin for a great-grandfather (proavia for a great-grandmother); the word can also mean a forefather in general.
Proavus means great-grandfather and proavia great-grandmother: avus is grandfather, and pro- adds one more generation. In wider use proavus can also mean any forefather.
You are most likely to meet these words in pedigrees, wills and family notes. Ordinary baptism entries more often stop at the grandparents, if they name them at all.
As seen in a recordLatin family note in a will, Austria, 1800s
Proavus meus Georgius Mayr, agricola in Neudorf
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "proavus." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/latin/proavus. Last checked 2026-10-10.