Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Preston

The name Preston is the transferred use of a surname which originated as a place name in England. Preston is derived from the Olde English words “prēost” meaning ‘priest’ and “tūn” meaning ‘settlement, enclosure.’ Therefore, the name essentially means Priest Town. Incidentally, there are many towns and places named Preston throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. Preston was adopted as a given name in the 19th century but appears mainly associated with North America.

All About the Baby Name – Preston

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME PRESTON

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME PRESTON

Although it’s never achieved a spot on the Top 100 list of most-favored boys’ names in the United States, Preston has maintained a respectable position on the charts for over 100 years. After dipping to its lowest point of usage in the 1970s, Preston starts to demonstrate improvement in the 1980s. Although the name never really makes any significant jumps one way or the other in the past 20 years, it still appears to be following the trend of “Last Names First” in America. Considered a male name (it’s not on the charts for the girls) Preston still retains an androgynous sound that doesn’t make it distinctly masculine. Given its “priestly” origin, the name doesn’t give off a religious fervor either. Rather, Preston sounds like a genteel, aristocratic boy’s name loaded with English charm. Oh, and here’s a bit of trivia for you if you’re interested in this name: John James Preston is the full name of Mr. Big from the Sex and the City television series.

Quick Facts

ON PRESTON

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

148

PRONUNCIATION:

PRESS-tin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Priest settlement

Characteristics

OF PRESTON

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Preston

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME PRESTON

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Preston

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME PRESTON

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Preston


Popular Songs

ON PRESTON

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Preston


Famous People

NAMED PRESTON

Preston Sturges (playwright)
Preston Foster (actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED PRESTON

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Preston

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME PRESTON

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Preston