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

Prest, 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 Prest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prest in America

Prest is the 25572nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prest surname appeared 965 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Prest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prest 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 Prest

The surname Prest originated in England and France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "prest," meaning "priest" or "clergyman." The name was likely first adopted as an occupational surname for those who served as priests or had some association with the church or religious orders.

In England, the surname Prest can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a person named John Prest is mentioned. The Prest surname is also found in other historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a Robert Prest.

The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Prest. However, it does list several places with names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Prestone (Lancashire) and Prestbury (Cheshire).

In France, the surname Prest or variations like Prest, Preste, and Le Prest were also present during the medieval period. One notable example is Jean Prest, a French philosopher and theologian who lived from around 1220 to 1290. He was known for his contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics.

Other notable individuals with the surname Prest include:

1. John Prest (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
2. William Prest (c. 1498-1558), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.
3. Thomas Prest (c. 1587-1649), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
4. James Prest (1794-1860), a British civil engineer and surveyor who worked on various infrastructure projects, including the construction of canals and railways.
5. Sir Henry Prest (1761-1834), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1805 to 1809.

The Prest surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England and France, reflecting the geographical distribution of the name over time. Some examples include Prestbury (Gloucestershire, England), Prestwick (Ayrshire, Scotland), and Prestatyn (Denbighshire, Wales).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prest

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

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 Prest 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 Prest 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 Prest was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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