Preston
Preston is a boys' name of English origin meaning “priest's town.” It ranked #299 in the United States in 2025. Preston derives from the Old English 'preost' (priest) and 'tun' (town), denoting a settlement with a priory or church.
how do you pronounce Preston?
PRES-ton
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Preston mean?
The name Preston means “priest's town.” It comes from the English language tradition.
Preston derives from the Old English 'preost' (priest) and 'tun' (town), denoting a settlement with a priory or church. It is a major city in Lancashire, England. As a first name, Preston has a polished, preppy quality that has kept it consistently popular in America. It projects reliability and quiet confidence.
where does the name Preston come from?
No reference material was retrieved for Preston. It is a transferred use of an English place name and surname, but nothing found here confirms the priest's town breakdown (Old English preost + tun) often cited elsewhere, so that specific derivation is not repeated as settled.
the history of Preston
Nothing further about its history as a first name can be established without a dedicated source.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #299 |
| 2024 | #330 |
| 2023 | #274 |
| 2022 | #255 |
| 2021 | #241 |
| 2020 | #228 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Preston?
Nicknames
who are famous people named Preston?
- Preston Sturges (American filmmaker, pioneer of screwball comedy)
- Preston Bailey (American child actor)
what names are similar to Preston?
what names go well with Preston?
Sibling names that share Preston's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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