Boys' name · peaked in 2007
Preston name popularity since 1925
116,679 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Preston (0.7% girls, 99.3% boys). Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Preston is about 25 years old in 2026. Preston peaked in 2007 as the #114 name for boys, and it ranked #299 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 116,679
- Named Preston, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #299
- for boys in 2025 (1,131 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.3% boys
- 770 girls · 115,909 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 2.75× its national share
Peak year is the year Preston made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Preston births per year, 1925–2025
2007 was the biggest year for Preston both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1995 and 2000, Preston became 1.6× more common, from 1 in 1,110 baby boys to 1 in 716.
- Steepest fall: Between 2019 and 2024, its share of baby boys fell by 38%, from 1 in 1,030 to 1 in 1,640.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Preston's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Preston.
Decade by decade
Babies named Preston in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 5 | 1,946 | – |
| 1930s | 10 | 3,441 | #302 |
| 1940s | 12 | 4,502 | #284 |
| 1950s | 20 | 5,164 | #324 |
| 1960s | 27 | 4,783 | #357 |
| 1970s | 48 | 5,483 | #368 |
| 1980s | 88 | 10,236 | #238 |
| 1990s | 113 | 17,088 | #182 |
| 2000s | 164 | 30,332 | #146 |
| 2010s | 181 | 25,049 | #169 |
| 2020–25 | 102 | 7,885 | #299 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
39.2% of babies named Preston from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Preston is most popular
The index compares Preston's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Preston.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 2.75× | 2,678 |
| Idaho | 1.87× | 852 |
| Oklahoma | 1.77× | 2,638 |
| South Carolina | 1.71× | 2,750 |
| Nevada | 1.63× | 668 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Preston's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Preston.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Preston (2007).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data