seven reflections
Login
Preston Name Meaning, Origins & History

Preston

Pronunciation: PRESS-tun

Meaning From the priest's estate Origin surnames Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#299
TREND
30
GIRLS RANK
#9,944
TREND
3,105
Peak Years
2007, 2006, 2009
Lowest Years
1881, 1886, 1897
Energy Archetype
Intellectual & Expressive

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Preston in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Preston

  • More than 123 thousand babies named Preston: U.S. records list 123,741 babies given the name Preston from 1880 through 2025. Even 798 girls received the name Preston - about 1 girl for every 154 boys.

What Does the Name Preston Mean?

Preston is an English name meaning "priest's town" or "priest settlement." It is formed from Old English prēost, "priest," and tūn, "enclosure, settlement, town." Prēost was borrowed into Old English from Latin presbyter, which comes from Greek presbyteros, "elder"; in Old English it was the ordinary noun for a priest, not a personal name. Tūn is a common place-name element found throughout England. The name's literal sense is a settlement associated with a priest or priests, and this is the established etymology rather than a later symbolic reading.

Preston Name History & Origins

Preston originated as an English place name. In the medieval period, more than one English settlement was called Preston, each formed independently from the same two Old English words. Preston in Lancashire is one well-known example, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086; other Prestons existed in several other counties. The second element developed regularly into modern English -ton, so spellings such as Prestune and Preston appear in medieval records.

The surname Preston arose from these places, denoting someone who lived at or came from a Preston. As a given name, Preston was adopted from the surname in the English-speaking world. It is not a biblical name or the name of a saint in origin; it belongs to the broad English pattern of surnames becoming first names. Its use as a first name is found in Britain and the United States, where it follows the same surname-derived tradition.

How Popular is the Name Preston?

Preston recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2007. Its best rank was #114 in 2006.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore More Lists with Name Preston

Most Popular Boy Names That Start with P

See List of Most Popular Boy Names Starting with P

How the Name Preston Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.

✦ Preston's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Preston's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
Explore Insights & Tips

Name Search