Find out how popular the last name Prescott is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Prescott.

Prescott, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Prescott surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prescott in America

Prescott is the 2134th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prescott surname appeared 16,975 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Prescott.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prescott to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Prescott

The surname Prescott originated in England, and it can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "preost" and "cot," which together mean "priest's cottage" or "priest's dwelling."

It is believed that the name was initially used to refer to a residence near a church or a small house occupied by a priest. Over time, it became a hereditary surname for families living in such dwellings or associated with the clergy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prescott can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1196, where it appears as "de Prestecote." This reference suggests that the name was already in use as a locational surname by the late 12th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with similar names, such as "Prestecote" in Shropshire and "Prestecota" in Warwickshire, which may have been the original locations from which the surname derived.

Notable individuals with the surname Prescott throughout history include:

1. Sir Robert Prescott (c. 1590-1615), an English merchant and sea captain who voyaged to the West Indies and wrote accounts of his travels.

2. Oliver Prescott (1731-1804), an American physician and soldier who served as a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War.

3. William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859), an American historian and writer best known for his works on the Spanish Empire, including "The History of the Conquest of Mexico."

4. Benjamin Prescott (1773-1829), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies in the early 19th century.

5. William Prescott (1726-1795), an American colonel who commanded patriot forces during the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War.

The surname Prescott has been associated with various places throughout England, such as Prescot in Merseyside, which was once spelled "Prestecote," and Prescott in Gloucestershire, known as "Prestcote" in the 13th century. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prescott

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Prescott.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Prescott was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Prescott has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Prescott was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Prescott, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!