Show ContentsPreble History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Preble may or may not predate the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066. It has been suggested that this name is derived from the name of a French town of Preville.

Early Origins of the Preble family

The surname Preble was first found in Kent; however early records of the name are scarce. Although they are probably not related, it is interesting to note that there is a record of a John Pridel in 1320 in the "Petre Documents."

Early History of the Preble family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Preble research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1585 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Preble History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Preble Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Prebble, Prebbel, Prebell, Prebel, Pribble, Prebble, Preble, Prebbil, Prebyll, Pribble and many more.

Early Notables of the Preble family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • George Preble of Kent, who was granted Arms on October 20, 1585

Preble Ranking

In the United States, the name Preble is the 11,976th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Preble migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Preble Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Abraham Preble, who landed in Massachusetts in 1637 2
  • Abraham Preble, who came from Kent, England to the Scituate Colony in Plymouth on record in Massachusetts in 1637
Preble Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Preble, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1800
  • Benjamin Preble, recorded in the 1820 Census of Preble County Ohio
  • Timothy Preble, who was a ship passenger arriving in San Francisco in 1850
  • Leander Preble, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • S L Preble, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Preble migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Preble Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Avis Preble U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Preble (post 1700) +

  • Edward Alexander Preble (1871-1957), American naturalist
  • Thomas Motherwell Preble (1810-1907), American Free Will Baptist minister in New Hampshire and a Millerite preacher
  • George Henry Preble (1816-1885), American naval officer, who rose to the rank of Commodore, best known for taking the first photograph of the Fort McHenry flag that inspired The Star-Spangled Banner
  • Commodore Edward Preble (1761-1807), American naval hero and namesake of Preble, New York and six USS Preble ships
  • Brigadier General William Preble Hall (1848-1927), American Army officer awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in action on October 20, 1879


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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