PRESTON
Preston is a surname of English origin, belonging to a category of names formed from place-names or geographical features.
The etymology of the name derives from the Old English elements preost, meaning “priest”, and tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement”. Consequently, the original bearer of the name may have been associated with a village that housed a priest or was held by the church, or simply identified as a resident of a settlement called Preston.
Hereditary use of the name follows the development of locational surnames in medieval England, the earliest recorded instance being that of Peter de Prestun dated 1185. Earlier references to the place itself appear in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Prestune” and in the Lancashire Charters of 1094 as “Prestona”. The most prominent of the English places named Preston is situated in Lancashire.
While originally English, the surname became prominent in Ireland from the thirteenth century. A notable Irish nameholder was Thomas Preston, Viscount Tara of the Irish nobility (1585‑1655), who was defeated by the forces of Henry Ireton, son‑in‑law of Cromwell, at the battle of Waterford in 1650. Earlier English bearers include Walter de Preston, sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1207, and his son Gilbert, Chief Justice of the court of common pleas in 1242.
The surname Preston thus exemplifies a locational identifier that evolved from a descriptive element of the landscape to a hereditary family name, preserved through documented legal and historical records in both England and Ireland.
Typical given names associated with the Preston surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Praston
- Perston
- Pearston
- Parston
- Presto
- Prestone
- Pierston
- Porstein
- Porstin
- Praest
- Prast
- Preast
- Preest
- Preeston
- Preson
- Presson
- Presston
- Prest
- Presta
- Prestano
- Presten
- Prestes
- Presti
- Prestige
- Prestin
- Prestine
- Prestleton
- Prestney
- Prestoe
- Prestol
- Prestons
- Prestor
- Prestow
- Prestt
- Presutto
- Preton
- Pretton
- Priest
- Priestt
- Priston
- Purston
- Preestone
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Preston in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Preston are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Jammie Dodger.
There are approximately 25,539 people named Preston in the UK. That makes it the 317th most common surname in Britain. Around 392 in a million people in Britain are named Preston.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Preston
- Matt Preston - Food critic, television presenter
- Preston - Singer
- Billy Preston - American R&B musician (1946 to 2006)
- Jenico Preston, 17th Viscount Gormanston - Irish noble
- Nigel Preston - Musician (1959 to 1992)
- Paul Preston - Historian
- Shelley Preston - Singer
- Simon Preston - Musician
- Michael Preston - Actor
- Peter Preston - Journalist (1938 to 2018)
- Alex Preston - Writer
- Andy Preston -
- Antony Preston - Author, editor, and historian (1938 to 2004)
- Frank W. Preston - -American engineer, ecologist, and conservationist (1896 to 1989)
- Gordon Preston - Mathematician (1925 to 2015)
- Denis Preston - Record producer (1916 to 1979)
- Edward Carter Preston - Artist (1884 to 1965)
- Ken Preston - Cricketer (1925 to 2019)
- Natalie Preston - Association football player
- Allan Preston - Scottish football player and manager
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.