2000
#12,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Presson
Derived from a place name meaning "priest's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement belonging to a priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,415 Americans carry the last name Presson. That puts it at #13,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Presson 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 Presson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,927
Census rank
#13,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,106 bearers of the surname Presson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Presson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Presson
The surname Presson has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "presse," which referred to a winepress or a device used for pressing grapes or other fruits to extract their juices. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals who operated or owned such presses.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Presson can be found in medieval records from various counties in England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. One notable example is the mention of a Robert Presson in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301. Another early reference is found in the Poll Tax Returns of Nottinghamshire from 1379, which lists a John Presson.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, variations in spelling were common, and the name appeared in various forms, such as Pression, Pressone, and Pressoun. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the phonetic transcription of the name by scribes or record-keepers of that era.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Presson was William Presson, who lived in the village of Langley, Derbyshire, in the late 15th century. Records show that he was a landowner and a prominent figure in the local community.
In the 16th century, the name Presson appeared in several historical documents, including the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire from 1544, which mentions a Thomas Presson. Another notable figure from this period was John Presson, a merchant from York who was involved in the wool trade and is mentioned in the city's records from the 1570s.
As the surname spread across England, it also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the village of Presson in Staffordshire is believed to have been named after an early inhabitant bearing the Presson surname.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Presson. One such figure was Edward Presson (1588-1650), a Puritan minister who served as the vicar of Leigh in Lancashire and was known for his religious writings.
Another significant figure was Sir John Presson (1625-1702), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in the late 17th century. He was involved in local politics and played a role in the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, John Presson (1734-1807) was a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, who made a fortune in the West Indies trade. His son, also named John Presson (1768-1843), followed in his footsteps and became a successful merchant and banker in London.
Moving into the 19th century, William Presson (1802-1879) was a noted architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in the Midlands region of England.
While the surname Presson is not as common today as it was in its heyday, it still holds a significant place in English history and reflects the rich cultural heritage of the country's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Presson
Among Census respondents with the surname Presson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Presson 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 Presson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,844
- Two or more races4.5% · 94
- Black or African American4.3% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Presson
Presson 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
#13,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
+30 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 761 places
2020
#13,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,106
-165 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,657 | 2,241 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,418 | 2,271 | 0.77 | +30 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 761 places |
| 2020 | #13,756 | 2,106 | 0.70 | -165 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 338 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 Presson 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 | #13,418 | #13,756 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,271 | 2,106 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.70 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Presson bearers went from 2,271 to 2,106 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 338 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,418 to #13,756.
FAQ
Presson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Presson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,415 living Americans carry the surname Presson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,927 residents.
How common is Presson?
Presson ranks #13,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,106 people with the surname Presson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Presson.
Has Presson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Presson went from 2,271 recorded bearers to 2,106. That is a decrease of 165 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,418 to #13,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Presson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Presson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Presson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,844 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Presson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (4.3%). 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 Presson (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 Presson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "priest's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement belonging to a priest. 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 Presson (0.70 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 surname Presson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.