2000
#2,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.52
Uncommon Last name
Pressley
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "priest's meadow" or "priest's clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,474 Americans carry the last name Pressley. That puts it at #2,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pressley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pressley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,681
Census rank
#2,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,622 bearers of the surname Pressley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pressley
The surname Pressley is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words "preost" meaning "priest" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near a meadow or clearing belonging to a priest or church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Prestesleye." This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the Old English words from which it originated.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different counties in England, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it was recorded as "Presteley." This suggests that the name had spread and become more widely used throughout the country.
The earliest known individual with the surname Pressley was John Pressley, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another notable early bearer of the name was Robert Pressley, mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.
As the centuries passed, the name continued to evolve and take on different spellings, including Pressley, Presly, Preslie, and Presley. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Elvis Presley (1935-1977), the legendary American singer and actor often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll."
Other notable figures with the surname Pressley include Rachel Pressley (born 1955), an American author and journalist; Charles Pressley (1917-1995), an American blues singer and guitarist; and James Pressley (1913-1997), an American football player and coach.
It is worth noting that the surname Pressley has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Prestley in Cheshire and Prestleigh in Warwickshire, further reinforcing its potential connection to locations associated with priests or churches.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pressley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pressley 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 Pressley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.8% · 6,544
- Black or African American40.0% · 5,055
- Two or more races4.6% · 576
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 354
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pressley
Pressley 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
#2,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,281
+1,099 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 1 places
2020
#2,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,622
-659 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 4.22
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,712 | 12,182 | 4.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,713 | 13,281 | 4.50 | +1,099 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 1 places |
| 2020 | #2,781 | 12,622 | 4.22 | -659 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 68 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 Pressley 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 | #2,713 | #2,781 | -2.5% |
| Count | 13,281 | 12,622 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.50 | 4.22 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pressley bearers went from 13,281 to 12,622 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,713 to #2,781.
FAQ
Pressley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pressley?
Name Census estimates that about 14,474 living Americans carry the surname Pressley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,681 residents.
How common is Pressley?
Pressley ranks #2,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,622 people with the surname Pressley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,474), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Pressley.
Has Pressley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pressley went from 13,281 recorded bearers to 12,622. That is a decrease of 659 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,713 to #2,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Pressley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pressley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (6,544 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pressley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.8%), Black (40.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pressley (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 Pressley mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "priest's meadow" or "priest's clearing." 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 Pressley (4.22 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 people have the last name Pressley?
Find out how many people have the surname Pressley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.