2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Presbrey
A variant of the surname Presbyter, referring to an English Protestant priest or minister.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Presbrey. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Presbrey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Presbrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Presbrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Presbrey
The surname Presbrey originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "prêtrebois," meaning "priest's wood." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an area of land or settlement owned or occupied by a priest or member of the clergy.
The earliest known record of the name Presbrey dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various forms, such as Prestbery, Prestbury, and Prestberie, in historical documents from Gloucestershire and Cheshire in England. These variations in spelling were common during that time due to the inconsistent nature of record-keeping.
One notable early reference to the name can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mentioned a Robert de Prestbury in 1275. Another early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279, where a John de Prestbury is listed.
In the 14th century, the surname Presbrey began to appear in its more modern spelling. In the Poll Tax returns of 1379, a William Presbrey is recorded in Gloucestershire. Around the same time, a John Presbrey is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1384.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Thomas Presbrey, who was born in Gloucestershire in the late 15th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace in the region.
Another notable figure was Sir William Presbrey (1550-1628), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. He was knighted by King James I in 1617 for his service to the crown.
During the English Civil War, Captain John Presbrey (1620-1677) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was later appointed as a commissioner for the trial of King Charles I in 1649.
In the 18th century, Reverend Samuel Presbrey (1712-1788) was a prominent clergyman in the Church of England and served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Gloucestershire for over 40 years.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Robert Presbrey (1856-1942), a renowned British engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the early automotive industry in the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Presbrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Presbrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Presbrey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Presbrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Presbrey
Presbrey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,432 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,432 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,419 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Presbrey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #151,639 | -4.4% |
| Count | 114 | 107 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Presbrey bearers went from 114 to 107 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #151,639.
FAQ
Presbrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Presbrey?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Presbrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Presbrey?
Presbrey ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Presbrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Presbrey.
Has Presbrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Presbrey went from 114 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Presbrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Presbrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Presbrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Presbrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Presbrey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Presbrey mean?
A variant of the surname Presbyter, referring to an English Protestant priest or minister. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Presbrey (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Presbrey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.