Prescott is a surname of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

origin, a habitational name from any of the places so called, in southwestern

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

(now

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

and

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, all of which are named from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''preost'' 'priest' + cot 'cottage', 'dwelling'. The surname is most common in Lancashire, and so it seems likely that the first of these places is the most frequent source. It is also present in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, being recorded there first in the 15th century.

List

Notable people with the surname include: * Abel Prescott, Jr. (1749–1775), American patriot *

Abraham Prescott Abraham Prescott (July 5, 1789 – May 1, 1858) was a noted luthier, particularly of the double bass, who worked in Deerfield and Concord, New Hampshire during the 19th century. Prescott built his first double bass in 1819, building 207 over ...

(1789–1858), American luthier *

Alan Prescott George Alan Prescott (17 June 1927 – 20 September 1998) was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. He played initially at , and then later at or . In 404 matches for St Helens. ...

(1927–1998), English rugby league footballer *

Albert Benjamin Prescott Albert Benjamin Prescott (December 12, 1832, Hastings, New York – February 25, 1905) was an American chemist. He graduated in medicine at the University of Michigan in 1864, and was made assistant professor of organic and applied chemistry, de ...

(1832–1905), American chemist * Barbara L. Prescott (born 1951) American author, editor, and educator * Benjamin F. Prescott (1833–1895), American lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician *

Breidis Prescott Breidis Enrique Prescott Consuegra (born May 3, 1983) is a Colombian professional boxer. In his early career he had a reputation as a formidable puncher, winning 18 of his first 20 fights by knockout. In 2008, Prescott first became known on the ...

(born 1983), Colombian boxer * Carol Prescott, American psychologist and gerontologist * Charles Prescott (disambiguation), multiple people, including: **

Charles John Prescott Charles John Prescott (9 June 1857 – 12 June 1946) was an English born Australian army chaplain, Methodist minister and headmaster. Early life Prescott was born in Bridport, Dorset, the eldest child of a Wesleyan clergyman. Educated at Kingsw ...

(1857–1946), English born Australian army chaplain, Methodist minister and headmaster ** Charles Ramage Prescott (1772–1859), merchant, noted horticulturalist and political figure in Nova Scotia ** Charles Y. Prescott (born 1938), American particle physicist * Dak Prescott (born 1993), American football quarterback *

Edward C. Prescott Edward Christian Prescott (December 26, 1940 – November 6, 2022) was an American economist. He received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2004, sharing the award with Finn E. Kydland, "for their contributions to dynamic macroeconomics: ...

(1940-2022), American Nobel prize-winning economist * George Lincoln Prescott (1829-1864), American brigadier general * George Prescott (1913–1988), American politician from Michigan *

H. F. M. Prescott Hilda Frances Margaret Prescott, more usually known as H. F. M. Prescott (22 February 1896 – 5 May 1972), was an English writer, academic and historian. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her best-known work is a novel, '' ...

(1896–1972), English author, academic and historian *

Henry Prescott Admiral Sir Henry Prescott (4 May 1783 – 18 November 1874) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and was later the Governor of the Newfoundland Colony. Biography Family ba ...

(1783–1874), officer of the British Royal Navy *

James W. Prescott James W. Prescott (born January 21, 1934) is an American developmental psychologist, whose research focused on the origins of violence, particularly as it relates to a lack of mother-child bonding. Prescott was a health scientist administrator ...

(born c. 1930), American developmental psychologist * John Prescott (disambiguation), multiple people, including: ** John Prescott (born 1938) British politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ** John Prescott (died 1412), (c. 1327 – 1412), English MP for Exeter, Totnes and Devon ** John B. Prescott (born 1940), Australian CEO of BHP **

John Robert Victor Prescott John Robert Victor Prescott FASSA (12 May 1931 – 17 August 2018) was a British and Australian academic, author, and professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne. A political geographer, most of Prescott's work focused on international bounda ...

, Australian geographer *

Katherine T. Hooper Prescott Katherine Tupper Hooper Prescott (1851-1926) was an American sculptor. She worked primarily in plaster. Biography Prescott née Hooper was born on June 17, 1851, in Biddeford, Maine. After she was widowed at age 36 from her husband Harry Lawson ...

(1851–1926), American sculptor *

Kathryn Prescott Kathryn Prescott (born 4 June 1991) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Emily Fitch on the E4 teen drama series '' Skins'' (2009–2010) and the titular character in the MTV teen drama ''Finding Carter'' (2014–2015). Career ...

(born 1991), English actress * Mary Newmarch Prescott (1849-1888), American magazine writer and poet * Megan Prescott (born 1991), English actress and bodybuilder *

Norm Prescott Norman Prescott (January 31, 1927 – July 2, 2005) was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Associates, an animation studio he created with veteran animator Lou Scheimer. Life and career Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston ...

(1927–2005), American film producer *

Paul Prescott Paul Prescott (born 1 January 1986) is a former Ireland international rugby league footballer. He played for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League. He won the 2010 Grand Final, the 2011 Challenge Cup and 2011 and 2012 League Leaders' Shields ...

(born 1986), English rugby league footballer * Peter Prescott (disambiguation), multiple people, including: **

Peter Prescott (musician) Peter Glen Prescott is a musician from Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known as the drummer for Mission of Burma. After Burma disbanded in 1983, Prescott remained active in the Boston music scene, forming Volcano Suns and later Kustomized, Pee ...

(born 1957), American drummer from Boston **

Peter Prescott (barrister) Peter Richard Kyle Prescott KC (born 23 January 1943) is an Anglo-Argentine barrister and was a Deputy High Court Judge of England and Wales, and a specialist on the law of copyright. He was educated at St George's College, Argentina, Dulwich C ...

(born 1943), English barrister, Queen's Counsel and Deputy High Court Judge **

Peter S. Prescott Peter Sherwin Prescott (July 15, 1935 - April 23, 2004) was an American author and book critic. He was the senior book reviewer at ''Newsweek'' for more than two decades. In January 1970, Prescott published ''A World of Our Own: Notes on Life an ...

(died 2004), American author, book reviewer, and critic *

Philander Prescott Philander Prescott (September 17, 1801 – August 10, 1862) was the son of Dr. Joel Prescott and Phildelia Reed. He was a native of Phelps, Ontario County, New York. He headed west in the spring of 1819, stopping a few months in Detroit, Michigan, ...

(1801–1862), American pioneer of Wisconsin and Minnesota, namesake of Prescott, Wisconsin *

Rebecca Minot Prescott Rebecca Minot Prescott (1742–1813) was the second wife of United States Founding Father Roger Sherman. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca Minot Prescott from Salem, Massachusetts; the niece of Roger Sherman’s brother Rev. Josiah Sher ...

(1742–1813), second wife of Roger Sherman *

Richard Prescott Lieutenant General Richard Prescott (1725–1788) was a British officer, born in England. Military career He was appointed a major of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, on 20 December 1756, transferred to the 72nd Regiment of Foot on 9 May 1758, and on ...

(1725–1788), British officer during the American Revolutionary War * Robert Prescott (c. 1726 – 1815), British soldier and colonial administrator *

Robert Prescott (actor) Robert Prescott (born 1957) is an American actor who has appeared in film and on television. He is best known for his role as Kent in the 1985 hit comedy film ''Real Genius''. He also starred in the 1984 comedy film ''Bachelor Party'' as Cole Whit ...

, American actor *

Samuel Prescott Samuel Prescott (August 19, 1751 – ) was an American physician and a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for his role in Paul Revere's "midnight ride" to warn the townspeople of Concord, Massachusetts ...

(1751–1777), American who completed Paul Revere's midnight ride * Samuel Cate Prescott, MIT dean and pioneer food technologist *

Stef Prescott ''StarStruck'' is a Philippine television reality talent competition show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Dingdong Dantes and Nancy Castiglione, it premiered on October 27, 2003 on the network's Telebabad line up. The show has a ...

, Filipina actress * Warren P. Prescott (born 1951) American lawyer and educator *

William Prescott William Prescott (February 20, 1726 – October 13, 1795) was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the patriot forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Prescott is known for his order to his soldiers, "Do not fire until y ...

(1726–1795), colonel in American Revolutionary War, Battle of Bunker Hill *

William H. Prescott William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796 – January 28, 1859) was an American historian and Hispanist, who is widely recognized by historiographers to have been the first American scientific historian. Despite having serious visual impairm ...

, American historian *

W. W. Prescott William Warren Prescott (1855–1944) was an administrator, educator, and scholar in the early Seventh-day Adventist Church. Biography Prescott's parents were part of the Millerites, Millerite movement. W. W. Prescott graduated from Dartmouth ...

(William Warren Prescott, 1855–1944), educator and administrator in the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Fictional characters

* Jessie Prescott, the titular character from the Disney Channel series ''Jessie'' * Jim Prescott, from the TV series ''24'' * Nathan Prescott, from the video game ''

Life Is Strange ''Life Is Strange'' (abbreviated ''LIS'') is a series of primarily episodic graphic adventure games published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, ...

'' * Sidney Prescott, the protagonist of the ''Scream'' movie series

References

{{surname, Prescott English toponymic surnames