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Show ContentsPreston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Preston is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The Preston family lived in the parish of Preston in the county of Midlothian (now part of the region of Lothian), Scotland.

Early Origins of the Preston family

The surname Preston was first found in Westmorland, where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Preston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Preston research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1222, 1296, 1327, 1370, 1396, 1478, 1557 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Preston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Preston Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Preston, Prestone and others.

Early Notables of the Preston family

Notable among the family at this time was

  • Robert Preston (d. 1396), who was made the 1st Baron Gormanston in 1370

Preston World Ranking

In the United States, the name Preston is the 639th most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Preston is ranked the 884th most popular surname with an estimated 6,049 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Preston is the 468th popular surname with an estimated 8,051 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Preston as 342nd with 1,841 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Preston as 297th with 20,252 people. 5

Ireland Migration of the Preston family to Ireland

Some of the Preston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Preston migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Preston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Robert Preson, aged 25, who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1621 6
  • Mr. Edward Preston, aged 13, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "The Christian" in 1634 6
  • John Preston, who sailed to Virginia in 1634
  • Roger Preston, aged 21, tanner who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635, bound for Ipswich
  • Joseph Preston, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Preston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Eliza Preston, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7
  • Captain Preston, who arrived in Boston in 1765
  • Jedediah Preston, who arrived in New England in 1770 7
Preston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Preston, aged 29, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 7
  • John Preston, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1834 7
  • George Preston, who landed in New York in 1842 7
  • James Preston, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7

Canada Preston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Preston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Preston U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1790 as a Mason 8
Preston Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Mary Preston, aged 58 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but she died on board 9
  • Mr. Patrick Preston, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 9
  • Mr. Richard Preston, aged 20 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 9

Australia Preston migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Preston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Preston, (b. 1790), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1852 10
  • Mr. Thomas Preston, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Joseph Preston, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. George Preston, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • Thomas Preston, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Preston migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Preston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Preston, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
  • Miss Eliza Preston, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 15
  • Mr. John Preston, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 16
  • John Preston, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 17
  • Mrs. Preston, British travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th January1869 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Preston migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Preston Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Richard Preston, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Paul of London" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 19
  • Mr. Mathew Preston, aged 22 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 20

Contemporary Notables of the name Preston (post 1700) +

  • June Preston (1928-2022), American child actress, a child star rival to Shirley Temple and later she was soprano singer in the United States, Latin America and Europe
  • Robert F. Preston (1929-2021), American businessman and politician, born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Member of the New Hampshire Senate in 1964 and again (1972-1990)
  • Kelly Preston (1962-2020), American actress and former model, wife of John Travolta 21
  • Private Herbert Irving Preston (1876-1928), American Marine awarded the Medal of Honor
  • Lewis Thompson Preston (b. 1926), American banker, President of the World Bank (1991-1995)
  • Robert Preston (1918-1987), American Academy Award nominated actor and singer, best remembered for his role as Harold Hill in the 1957 musical The Music Man
  • Billy Preston (1946-2006), American Rhythm & Blues player of organ, keyboards, and piano
  • John Smith Preston (1809-1881), American lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War
  • James Patton Preston (1774-1853), American politician, who served as the governor of Virginia (1816-1819)
  • Commander Arthur Murray Preston (1913-1968), United States Navy officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Robert John Preston (d. 1979), New Zealander passenger, from, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 22
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. John Edwin Preston (d. 1914), British Inspector from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 23
Halifax Explosion
HMS Cornwall
  • William Henry Preston, British Warrant Officer Engineer aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 25
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Walter A Preston, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 26
HMS Royal Oak
  • Frederick Henry Preston (1906-1939), British Sergeant with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 27
Monongah Mine
  • Mr. Jonathan H. Preston (b. 1866), African American coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 28
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. John Federick Preston (d. 1912), aged 30, English Bassist from Liverpool, Lancashire who played aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 29
  • Mr. Thomas Charles Alfred Preston, aged 20, English Greaser from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on collapsible B 29

The Preston Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Praesto ut praestem
Motto Translation: I undertake what I may perform
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  6. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  7. 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)
  8. 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
  9. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 92)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  14. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  19. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  20. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  21. Kelly Preston. (Retrieved 2011, January 21) Kelly Preston. Retrieved from http://www.kellypreston.com
  22. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  23. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  24. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  25. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
  26. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  27. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  28. Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).
  29. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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