2000
#36,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Pressly
An English surname derived from an Old French word meaning "from the press" or "from the vine press".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 690 Americans carry the last name Pressly. That puts it at #39,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 496,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pressly 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
690
1 in 496,745
Census rank
#39,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
602
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 602 bearers of the surname Pressly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pressly
The surname Pressly originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "preost" meaning priest, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, essentially translating to "priest's meadow." This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived near or worked on land owned by a priest or church.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties across southern England. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Henry de Prestelaye in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a William de Prestley in Sussex. Similar spellings like Presteley, Preistley, and Prestlay were common during this era.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Prestlay, born around 1410 in Wiltshire. He served as a clerk and scribe for the local monastery, lending credence to the name's ecclesiastical origins. Another early figure was William Prestley (1505-1570), a landowner and farmer from Somerset who was involved in local governance.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Presslys began migrating to other parts of England and Scotland. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Pressly (1580-1644), a merchant and alderman in the city of Edinburgh, and Elizabeth Pressly (1625-1692), a Quaker preacher and writer from Lancashire.
In the 18th century, the name spread to Ireland and later to North America with the wave of Scottish and Irish immigration. One of the first Presslys in America was James Pressly (1720-1782), a Scottish farmer who settled in Pennsylvania. His descendants went on to become prominent figures in the Presbyterian Church, including Reverend John Pressly (1768-1855), a founder of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Other notable Presslys throughout history include Sir John Pressly (1835-1914), a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London, and Mary Pressly (1880-1962), an American author and journalist known for her work on women's suffrage and social reform.
Overall, the surname Pressly has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, with connections to the clergy and landownership. Over time, it has spread across the British Isles and beyond, carried by individuals from various walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pressly
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pressly 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 Pressly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 521
- Black or African American6.0% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 24
- Two or more races2.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pressly
Pressly 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
#37,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 598
+22 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 658 places
2020
#39,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 602
+4 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 2,136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,630 | 576 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,288 | 598 | 0.20 | +22 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 658 places |
| 2020 | #39,424 | 602 | 0.20 | +4 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 2,136 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 Pressly 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 | #37,288 | #39,424 | -5.7% |
| Count | 598 | 602 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pressly bearers went from 598 to 602 (+0.7% change). The surname moved down 2,136 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,288 to #39,424.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pressly
FAQ
Pressly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pressly?
Name Census estimates that about 690 living Americans carry the surname Pressly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 496,745 residents.
How common is Pressly?
Pressly ranks #39,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 602 people with the surname Pressly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (690), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Pressly.
Has Pressly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pressly went from 598 recorded bearers to 602. That is an increase of 4 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #37,288 to #39,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Pressly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Pressly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pressly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Pressly (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 Pressly mean?
An English surname derived from an Old French word meaning "from the press" or "from the vine press". 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 Pressly (0.20 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 share the surname Pressly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.