Boy name · Old English
Preston
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: priest's townPreston is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "priest's town". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Priest's town
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #299 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Preston
As a boy's name, Preston comes from Old English and means "priest's town". It is used in English.
Preston is also a surname: the 753rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 45,056 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Preston on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Preston on 2 lists.
“Old English for priest's town; neat and proper”
From Redneck names for boys, southern gentleman names for boys
“Priest's town; Old English. Polished place name”
From Boy middle names, surname middle names for boys
How popular is Preston?
- US rank in 2025
- #299
- 1,131 babies, 662 per million boys
- Best rank
- #114 in 2006
- Most babies: 3,797 in 2007
- Babies since 1880
- At least 122,958
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 418 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 451 per million |
| 1900s | 544 per million |
| 1910s | 457 per million |
| 1920s | 384 per million |
| 1930s | 326 per million |
| 1940s | 302 per million |
| 1950s | 255 per million |
| 1960s | 248 per million |
| 1970s | 332 per million |
| 1980s | 555 per million |
| 1990s | 877 per million |
| 2000s | 1,520 per million |
| 2010s | 1,332 per million |
| 2020s | 761 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #172 | #190 | #205 | #217 | #228 | #241 | #255 | #274 | #330 | #299 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Preston
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- PeytonPæga's town (Old English, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- AdrienneFrom Hadria, a Roman town (Latin, girl)
- AinhoaFrom a Basque town with a famous image of the Virgin Mary (Basque, girl)
- AltonTown at a river's source (Old English, boy)
- AshtonAsh tree town (Old English, boy)
- BraxtonFrom a surname meaning Bracca's town (Old English, boy)
- BurtonFortified town (Old English, boy)
- CohenFrom a Jewish surname meaning priest (Hebrew, boy)
- ColtonFrom a surname and place name meaning Cola's town (Old English, boy)
- DarbyDeer town (Old Norse, unisex)
- EastonFrom a surname meaning east town (Old English, boy)
- EltonElla's town (Old English, boy)
- KaysonVariant of Cason, a surname from Cawston, Kálfr's town (English, boy)
- KingstonKing's town (Old English, boy)
- KohenVariant of Cohen, from a Jewish surname meaning priest (Hebrew, boy)
- LaurenceFrom Laurentum, a Roman town (Latin, boy)
Middle names for Preston
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Preston: common questions
What does the name Preston mean?
Preston comes from Old English and means "priest's town".
Is Preston a boy or girl name?
Preston is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 10 girls and 1,131 boys in the US were named Preston, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Preston come from?
Preston comes from Old English and means "priest's town". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Preston?
Preston ranked #299 in the US in 2025, with 1,131 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Preston?
Forms of Preston with the same meaning and origin include Peyton (English).
What middle names go with Preston?
Middle names that flow well with Preston include Asher, Eli, Finn, Grant and Jude. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.