Preston
A habitational surname meaning “the priest’s estate, enclosure, or town.”
The #736 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,518 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Preston comes from an Old English place-name built from prēost, meaning “priest,” and tūn, meaning “farm, settlement, enclosure, or estate.” The literal sense is therefore “priest’s town” or “priest’s homestead.” In some early explanations, the name is linked to church land or a religious estate rather than a town owned by a priest in the modern sense.
History
Preston is one of the most common English place-based surnames, taken from any of many towns and villages called Preston across England. Historical writers especially linked it to Lancashire Preston, but the name arose independently in several counties. The surname was already established in medieval records, and later families in places such as Furness traced their line to local Prestons in the north of England.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because so many English parishes and hamlets were called Preston, the surname could arise independently in multiple families with no shared ancestry.
From the historical record
“John's foot.— MmcA Ado, &c., 11. i. 278. PRESTON (Eng.) Bel. to Preston = , the Priest's or Priests' Place ; Church- Domain [O.E. prSost, priest; tAn, estate, etc.] We see the genit. pi. form, PriostatAn, in a charter of the year 946 (' Cart. Sax.' No. 811). Preston near Cirencester is stated to have belonged to…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Preston
- Kelly Preston (1962–2020)
- Billy Preston (1946–2006)
- Frances Cleveland (1864–1947)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.