2000
#1,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.56
Uncommon Last name
Presley
From an English place name meaning "priest's meadow," or from a topographic name meaning "prest clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,228 Americans carry the last name Presley. That puts it at #1,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,945 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Presley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Presley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,945
Census rank
#1,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,640 bearers of the surname Presley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Presley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Presley
The surname Presley is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "preost", meaning "priest", and the suffix "-leah", meaning "woodland clearing" or "meadow". This suggests that the name may have referred to a priest's residence or land associated with a priest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Presley can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from the late 13th century, where it appears as "de Presteleye". This indicates that the name was likely derived from a place name, as was common during that time period.
In the 14th century, the surname Presley appeared in various forms, such as "Presleye", "Prestley", and "Prestleigh", reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common before standardization.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Presley became more widely distributed across England. Notable individuals bearing this name included William Presley (1598-1672), a Puritan minister who served as the rector of Upwell in Norfolk, and John Presley (1617-1679), a Member of Parliament for Pembrokeshire in Wales.
In the 18th century, the Presley family had established themselves in various parts of England, including Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire. One notable figure from this period was Samuel Presley (1733-1808), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
As the Presley family spread across England, some members migrated to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Richard Presley, who arrived in Virginia in the 1660s.
Other notable individuals with the surname Presley throughout history include:
1. Joseph Presley (1796-1865), an American farmer and the great-great-grandfather of Elvis Presley.
2. Abner Presley (1788-1854), an American farmer and the great-grandfather of Elvis Presley.
3. Jessie D. Presley (1896-1973), an American businessman and the father of Elvis Presley.
4. Vernon Presley (1916-1979), an American businessman and the father of Elvis Presley.
5. Elvis Presley (1935-1977), the legendary American singer and actor who popularized rock and roll music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Presley
Among Census respondents with the surname Presley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Presley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Presley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 12,723
- Black or African American18.6% · 3,283
- Two or more races5.1% · 905
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 445
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Presley
Presley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,384
+697 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 6.23
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#1,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,640
-744 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.90
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,866 | 17,687 | 6.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,968 | 18,384 | 6.23 | +697 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #1,999 | 17,640 | 5.90 | -744 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 31 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Presley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,968 | #1,999 | -1.6% |
| Count | 18,384 | 17,640 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.23 | 5.90 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Presley bearers went from 18,384 to 17,640 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,968 to #1,999.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Presley
FAQ
Presley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Presley?
Name Census estimates that about 20,228 living Americans carry the surname Presley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,945 residents.
How common is Presley?
Presley ranks #1,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,640 people with the surname Presley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Presley.
Has Presley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Presley went from 18,384 recorded bearers to 17,640. That is a decrease of 744 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,968 to #1,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Presley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Presley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Presley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (12,723 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Presley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Black (18.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Presley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Presley mean?
From an English place name meaning "priest's meadow," or from a topographic name meaning "prest clearing." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Presley (5.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Presley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.