Preston

Preston comes from the Old English preost and tun, priest's town, a settlement attached to a church or cleric. It was a place name, then a surname, then, by the twentieth century, a first name that sounded both aristocratic and approachable. It peaked inside the American top 200 in the early 2000s and has since eased into the low 300s. Two crisp syllables carry a faintly English prep-school air, leather-bound books and crew-neck sweaters. Preston balances preppy and warm, never stuffy. A name that shakes hands firmly and actually remembers yours.