Explore the Family Name Preston

The meaning of Preston

English: 1. habitational name from one of the many places (most notably one in Lancashire) so called from Old English prēost ‘priest’ + tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. 2. occasionally from Middle English prest + son ‘son of the priest’. Priests were forbidden marriage but many produced illegitimate off spring.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Preston in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Preston has seen a small drop from the year 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Preston ranked as the 681st most popular surname in the United States with a proportion of 17 per 100,000 people. By 2010, it had slipped to the 736th spot, despite an increase in the absolute count of people with this surname from 45,850 to 47,367. The proportion per 100K people also declined by 5.53% over this decade.

20002010Change
Rank#681#736-8.08%
Count45,85047,3673.31%
Proportion per 100k1716.06-5.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Preston

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Preston is quite diverse, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of Prestons identify as White, at 73.18% in 2010, down slightly from 75.24% in 2000. The second largest group, those identifying as Black, saw a small increase from 19.95% to 20.40% over the same period. Individuals identifying with two or more races have also increased from 1.62% to 2.3%. Hispanic representation within the Preston surname increased by 42.29%, albeit from a low base. Similarly, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories saw increases of 26.67% and 6.06% respectively, though their overall percentages remained under 1.05%.

20002010Change
White75.24%73.18%-2.74%
Black19.95%20.4%2.26%
Hispanic1.75%2.49%42.29%
Two or More Races1.62%2.3%41.98%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.99%1.05%6.06%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.45%0.57%26.67%

Preston ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Preston is British & Irish, which comprises 52.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.1%) and Eastern European (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.8%
French & German22.1%
Eastern European4.2%
Other20.8%
Preston

Possible origins of the surname Preston

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Preston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom84.20%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom83.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom83.80%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom83.60%

What Preston haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Preston is I-P109, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-P109 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L1065, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Rush, Roy, Thornton, Nielsen, Rice, Ellis, Richardson, Fowler, Hanson, Springer.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Preston surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

prestonPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many northern European men

If you have haplogroup I1a1b, your paternal line stems from a young branch of I-M253 called I-L22, which likely arose in the last 3,000 years. I-L22 is most common in Northern Europe, but a recent study found that this haplogroup was present in a significant portion of the Partecipanza population living in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy. The area of San Giovanni in Persiceto was involved in a migration period in 728 AD, when it became part of the Lombard kingdom, under King Aistulf. San Giovanni in Persiceto was only under Lombard rule for 48 years, after which the Lombards were defeated by King Charlemagne in 776 AD. There are several characteristics of San Giovanni in Persiceto that link it to other Lombard settlements. For instance, some research suggests San Giovanni in Persiceto was the seat of a Lombard Duke between 750 and 800 AD. It is possible that the Lombards who ruled over San Giovanni in Persiceto played an important role in the introduction and growth of haplogroup I-L22 in the region.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Preston have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Preston

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Preston" Surname 47.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Preston

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Preston" Surname 24.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Preston

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Preston" Surname 25.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Preston

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Preston" Surname 17.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Preston?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Preston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%