NameCensus.

UK surname

Prescott

An English habitational surname derived from places meaning "priest's cottage."

In the 1881 census there were 4,227 people recorded with the Prescott surname, ranking it #1,063 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,409, ranked #1,050, up from #1,063 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wigan and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Prescott is 6,782 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.6%.

1881 census count

4,227

Ranked #1,063

Modern count

6,409

2016, ranked #1,050

Peak year

1999

6,782 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Prescott had 4,227 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,063 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,409 in 2016, ranked #1,050.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,274 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Prescott surname distribution map

The map shows where the Prescott surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Prescott surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Prescott over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,864 #1,553
1861 historical 2,260 #1,301
1881 historical 4,227 #1,063
1891 historical 4,791 #971
1901 historical 5,461 #1,018
1911 historical 6,274 #820
1997 modern 6,424 #1,016
1998 modern 6,517 #1,047
1999 modern 6,782 #1,003
2000 modern 6,745 #1,001
2001 modern 6,577 #1,004
2002 modern 6,725 #1,002
2003 modern 6,504 #1,019
2004 modern 6,440 #1,036
2005 modern 6,295 #1,043
2006 modern 6,318 #1,036
2007 modern 6,337 #1,045
2008 modern 6,406 #1,034
2009 modern 6,593 #1,028
2010 modern 6,730 #1,028
2011 modern 6,545 #1,043
2012 modern 6,367 #1,051
2013 modern 6,505 #1,049
2014 modern 6,555 #1,050
2015 modern 6,446 #1,051
2016 modern 6,409 #1,050

Geography

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Where Prescotts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wigan, Liverpool, Leigh and Prescot. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Leigh Lancashire
5 Prescot Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 024 Wigan
2 Wigan 026 Wigan
3 Wigan 033 Wigan
4 Wigan 027 Wigan
5 Wigan 037 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Prescott

These lists show first names that appear often with the Prescott surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Prescott

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Prescott, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Prescott surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Prescott household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Prescott is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Prescott is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Prescott falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Prescott is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Prescott, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Prescott

The surname Prescott originated in England, and it can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "preost" and "cot," which together mean "priest's cottage" or "priest's dwelling."

It is believed that the name was initially used to refer to a residence near a church or a small house occupied by a priest. Over time, it became a hereditary surname for families living in such dwellings or associated with the clergy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prescott can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1196, where it appears as "de Prestecote." This reference suggests that the name was already in use as a locational surname by the late 12th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with similar names, such as "Prestecote" in Shropshire and "Prestecota" in Warwickshire, which may have been the original locations from which the surname derived.

Notable individuals with the surname Prescott throughout history include:

1. Sir Robert Prescott (c. 1590-1615), an English merchant and sea captain who voyaged to the West Indies and wrote accounts of his travels.

2. Oliver Prescott (1731-1804), an American physician and soldier who served as a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War.

3. William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859), an American historian and writer best known for his works on the Spanish Empire, including "The History of the Conquest of Mexico."

4. Benjamin Prescott (1773-1829), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies in the early 19th century.

5. William Prescott (1726-1795), an American colonel who commanded patriot forces during the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War.

The surname Prescott has been associated with various places throughout England, such as Prescot in Merseyside, which was once spelled "Prestecote," and Prescott in Gloucestershire, known as "Prestcote" in the 13th century. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Prescott families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Prescott surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 2,530 Prescotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.17x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,530 5.17x
Kent 256 1.82x
Middlesex 192 0.47x
Somerset 157 2.37x
Cheshire 156 1.72x
Yorkshire 138 0.34x
Warwickshire 99 0.95x
Surrey 96 0.48x
Worcestershire 73 1.36x
Staffordshire 72 0.52x
Devon 59 0.69x
Lincolnshire 59 0.90x
Glamorgan 57 0.79x
Hampshire 44 0.52x
Gloucestershire 30 0.37x
Oxfordshire 26 1.02x
Berkshire 17 0.55x
Midlothian 15 0.27x
Durham 14 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.25x
Northamptonshire 12 0.31x
Essex 11 0.14x
Angus 8 0.21x
Derbyshire 8 0.12x
Wiltshire 7 0.19x
Cumberland 6 0.17x
Bedfordshire 5 0.23x
Monmouthshire 5 0.17x
Shropshire 5 0.14x
Sussex 5 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.15x
Dorset 4 0.15x
Hertfordshire 4 0.14x
Lanarkshire 4 0.03x
Royal Navy 4 0.81x
Selkirkshire 4 1.07x
Cornwall 3 0.06x
Herefordshire 3 0.18x
Leicestershire 3 0.07x
Northumberland 3 0.05x
Channel Islands 2 0.16x
Norfolk 2 0.03x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.11x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.08x
Radnorshire 1 0.30x
Renfrewshire 1 0.03x
Roxburghshire 1 0.13x
Westmorland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hindley in Lancashire leads with 131 Prescotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 62.84x.

Place Total Index
Hindley 131 62.84x
Wigan 94 13.76x
Westleigh 93 83.76x
Eccleston In Prescot 79 32.18x
Bedford 76 74.31x
Aspull 75 65.21x
Aughton 72 148.70x
Golborne 69 108.29x
Prescot 69 78.04x
Liverpool 68 2.29x
Sutton 68 41.47x
Preston 67 5.12x
Pennington In Leigh 59 62.89x
West Derby 53 3.71x
Hulme 51 5.00x
Lathom 51 86.38x
Widnes 51 14.46x
Blackburn 46 3.54x
Ince In Makerfield 43 18.90x
Halsall 40 207.15x
Birmingham 39 1.13x
Everton 37 2.37x
Pendleton In Salford 37 6.35x
Chorley 36 13.12x
Aston 33 1.15x
Toxteth Park 33 1.99x
Abram 31 82.62x
Ashton In Makerfield 30 21.55x
Windle 30 10.90x
Paddington London 29 1.91x
Camberwell 28 1.06x
North Meols 28 5.85x
Charlton 27 28.92x
Manchester 27 1.23x
Parr 27 15.43x
Little Bolton 26 4.14x
Lowton 26 78.17x
Scarisbrick 26 45.81x
Huyton With Roby 25 43.64x
Erith 24 17.33x
Redditch 24 22.00x
Rowley Regis 24 6.19x
Atherton 23 12.92x
Dover St James 23 37.33x
Rainford 23 43.49x
Salford 22 1.53x
Little Hulton 21 25.94x
Maghull 21 103.55x
Astley 20 53.02x
Portsea 20 1.21x
St Pancras London 20 0.60x
Bedminster 19 3.05x
Bexley 19 15.29x
Bootle Cum Linacre 19 4.89x
Dover St Mary Virgin 19 13.96x
Downholland 19 281.07x
Tarleton 19 70.68x
Islington London 18 0.45x
Lambeth 18 0.50x
Oldham 18 1.14x
Worsley 18 5.97x
Ardwick 17 3.85x
Ashton Under Lyne 17 1.59x
Cheetham 16 4.39x
Deal 16 13.34x
Neithrop 16 18.71x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 16 11.37x
Wheelton 16 73.13x
Farington 15 52.71x
Formby 15 27.10x
Pemberton 15 7.69x
Seaton 15 45.37x
Swansea Town 15 2.55x
Walton Le Dale 15 11.42x
Altcar 14 180.41x
Birkenhead 14 1.93x
Kirkdale 14 1.70x
Monckton Combe 14 66.04x
Newton In Makerfield 14 9.35x
Ormskirk 14 14.96x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Prescott surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 317
Elizabeth 199
Ellen 127
Alice 126
Sarah 123
Ann 122
Jane 110
Margaret 107
Annie 56
Martha 54
Eliza 38
Hannah 38
Emily 36
Emma 34
Maria 31
Ada 22
Catherine 22
Harriet 21
Fanny 17
Florence 16
Frances 16
Caroline 13
Charlotte 13
Elizth. 13
Edith 12
Isabella 12
Agnes 11
Anne 11
Clara 11
Kate 11
Louisa 11
Amelia 10
Betty 10
Ethel 9
Rebecca 9
Ruth 9
Helen 8
Lucy 8
Susannah 8
Betsy 7
Esther 7
Gertrude 7
Henrietta 7
Nancy 7
Amy 6
Jessie 6
Matilda 6
Rachel 6
Rose 6
Sophia 6

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Prescott surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 304
William 273
Thomas 230
James 210
George 115
Henry 93
Richard 73
Joseph 68
Charles 56
Robert 48
Edward 46
Peter 32
Albert 25
Alfred 25
Samuel 24
Arthur 23
Frederick 19
David 17
Walter 16
Wm. 13
Harry 12
Ralph 11
Edwin 10
Herbert 10
Thos. 9
Daniel 8
Ernest 7
Frank 7
Stephen 7
Abraham 6
Alexander 6
Andrew 6
Willm. 6
Christopher 5
Fred 5
Isaac 5
Job 5
Mark 5
Nathan 5
Benjamin 4
Eli 4
Elijah 4
Francis 4
Geo. 4
Henery 3
Hugh 3
Jas. 3
Luke 3
Philip 3
Robt. 3

FAQ

Prescott surname: questions and answers

How common was the Prescott surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,227 people were recorded with the Prescott surname. That placed it at #1,063 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Prescott surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,409 in 2016. That gives Prescott a modern rank of #1,050.

What does the Prescott surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from places meaning "priest's cottage."

What does the Prescott map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Prescott bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.