Preston
Preston was the 299th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,131 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 114th; the most babies were born in 2007 (3,797). Over the last ten years it has moved down 130 places. More babies were named Preston in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning priests' settlement (place name) · Old English
Say it PRES-tuhn /ˈprɛstən/
- Rank in 2025
- #299 boys, down 71 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,131boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20073,797 babies
- Total since 1880
- 123,757babies recorded
What does the name Preston mean?
Preston is a common English place name from Old English preosta tun, 'priests' farmstead or settlement', referring to land owned by a church; Wiktionary gives this derivation. It became a surname for people from such places and later a first name, used mainly for boys in the US. Wiktionary notes that the Welsh town name Prestatyn is the same name in another form.
prēost (Old English, “priest”)tūn (Old English, “farmstead, settlement”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Presley, Priestley.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Preston', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry '-ton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Preston (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Preston popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 799 since 1916, 10 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #299 | 1,131 |
| 2020 | #228 | 1,647 |
| 2010 | #131 | 3,108 |
| 2000 | #142 | 2,743 |
| 1990 | #198 | 1,527 |
| 1980 | #277 | 763 |
| 1970 | #356 | 521 |
| 1960 | #358 | 477 |
| 1950 | #292 | 535 |
| 1940 | #288 | 381 |
| 1930 | #293 | 379 |
| 1920 | #251 | 482 |
| 1910 | #222 | 112 |
| 1900 | #227 | 78 |
| 1890 | #242 | 49 |
| 1880 | #243 | 47 |
How popular is Preston, counting every spelling?
Preston is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #312 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #299 for Preston on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,131 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | 1,131 | #299 | 6,238 |
| Prestin | — | — | 46 |
| Presten | — | — | 28 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Preston?
1,131 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Preston (0.31 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Preston born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Preston.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Preston?
About 103,300 people born in the US named Preston are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 14 and 35. That makes Preston mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Preston by state
How common Preston was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (2.5×), West Virginia (2.5×), Louisiana (2.2×), Alabama (1.9×), Kentucky (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, New Hampshire, South Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Preston: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Preston, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Preston · Sibling names for Preston
Questions about the name Preston
What does Preston mean?
Preston means “priests' settlement (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Preston?
Preston was the 299th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,131 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 114th; the most babies were born in 2007 (3,797). Over the last ten years it has moved down 130 places. More babies were named Preston in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Preston a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Preston in the US.
Where is Preston most popular?
In 2021–2025, Preston was most common in Mississippi (1.79 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Louisiana.