2000
#7,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Presnell
Derived from a place name meaning "priest's hall" in Old English, referring to a priest's dwelling or church house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,137 Americans carry the last name Presnell. That puts it at #8,725 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Presnell 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
4.1K
1 in 82,851
Census rank
#8,725
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,608 bearers of the surname Presnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8725th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Presnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Presnell
The surname PRESNELL has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "praest" meaning priest, and "nelle" meaning valley or stream, suggesting a connection to a dwelling or location associated with a priest near a valley or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where it appears as "Prestenel." This spelling variation indicates that the name may have initially referred to a person living in a priest's valley or near a priest's stream.
During the 14th century, the surname began appearing in various records across different counties in England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where it is written as "Prestenell." This further solidifies the connection between the name and its potential origins related to a priest and a geographic location.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1443, recorded as "Prestner." This variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time and the potential influence of regional dialects on its spelling.
One notable bearer of the PRESNELL surname was Sir John Presnell, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and held land in Gloucestershire, contributing to the local community and serving as a justice of the peace.
Another historically significant figure with this surname was William Presnell, born in 1685 in Oxfordshire. He was a prominent scholar and educator, serving as the headmaster of the prestigious Merchant Taylors' School in London during the early 18th century.
In the 17th century, the surname can be found in parish records from various counties in England, including the baptismal record of Mary Presnell in 1643 at St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, and the marriage record of Thomas Presnell and Elizabeth Wilkins in 1678 at St. Olave's Church in London.
As the name spread across England over the centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Pressnall, Pressnell, and Presnall, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during those times.
Throughout its history, the PRESNELL surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, from landed gentry to scholars and educators, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Presnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Presnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Presnell 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 Presnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,343
- Two or more races3.5% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 75
- Black or African American0.9% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Presnell
Presnell 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
#8,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,058
-13 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 633 places
2020
#8,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,608
-450 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,535 | 4,071 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,168 | 4,058 | 1.38 | -13 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 633 places |
| 2020 | #8,725 | 3,608 | 1.21 | -450 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 557 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 Presnell 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 | #8,168 | #8,725 | -6.8% |
| Count | 4,058 | 3,608 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.21 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Presnell bearers went from 4,058 to 3,608 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 557 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,168 to #8,725.
FAQ
Presnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Presnell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,137 living Americans carry the surname Presnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,851 residents.
How common is Presnell?
Presnell ranks #8,725 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,608 people with the surname Presnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Presnell.
Has Presnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Presnell went from 4,058 recorded bearers to 3,608. That is a decrease of 450 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,168 to #8,725.
What does the Census say about the background of Presnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Presnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Presnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Presnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Presnell (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 Presnell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "priest's hall" in Old English, referring to a priest's dwelling or church house. 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 Presnell (1.21 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 common is the surname Presnell?
See how many people have the surname Presnell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.