Pressley
A unisex name of disputed meaning, possibly derived from a place name.
Name Census estimates that about 679 living Americans carry the first name Pressley. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 65.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Pressley today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pressley births was 2007 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pressley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Pressley started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
People living today
679
~ 1 in 504,793 Americans
Peak year
2007
40 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2012 SSA rank
#10,057
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Pressley
Pressley is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 863 total registrations, 299 (34.6%) were male and 564 (65.4%) were female.
Pressley as a male name
- Ranked #13,724 in 2012
- 5 male births in 2012
- Peak: 1915 (10 births)
Pressley as a female name
- Ranked #10,057 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (40 births)
Popularity
Pressley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pressley from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 253 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pressley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pressley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pressley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pressleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Pressley, while Georgia, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pressley
The name Pressley is an English surname that has its roots in the Old English word "preost," meaning "priest." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a priest's dwelling or worked in service to a priest.
In the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, including Prestley, Priestley, and Presly, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that time. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals named Pressley living in different parts of England.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Pressley was Sir John Pressley, a 14th-century English knight and landowner from Yorkshire. He played a role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, participating in several battles and military campaigns.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Pressley gained recognition as a respected theologian and author. He wrote several works on religious topics and served as a minister in the Church of England.
During the 17th century, the name Pressley was associated with the Puritan movement in England. One notable figure was William Pressley, a Puritan minister who immigrated to America in the 1630s and became one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In the 18th century, a scientist named Joseph Pressley made significant contributions to the field of chemistry. He conducted groundbreaking research on the properties of gases and is credited with several important discoveries.
Another notable figure with the name Pressley was Charles Pressley, a 19th-century English artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. His works are displayed in several prestigious art galleries and museums.
Throughout history, the name Pressley has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, ranging from religious leaders and scholars to military figures and artists. While its origins can be traced back to Old English, the name has endured and continues to be used in modern times, reflecting its rich historical legacy.
People
Pressley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pressley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pressley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pressley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 679 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pressley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 504,793 US residents.
Is Pressley a common name?
We classify Pressley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 863 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pressley most popular?
The single biggest year for Pressley was 2007, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pressley is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pressley a female name?
Yes, 65.4% of people registered as Pressley in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.