Presley
Encyclopedia
The surname
Presley and variants Pressley and Pressly are thought to be ultimately of English
origin. Later, if not found in some form originating also in Scotland
, the name made its way across the border to that country, then on to Ireland
and to the United States
. The surname came to prominence in the person of Elvis Presley
, the American music icon, but the surname appertaining to him is documentable not to be a British Presley/Pressley/Pressly of any similar spelling, but rather a Preslar/Presler, from what is now present-day Germany
. The name transformed into the Anglicized "Presley" in the first or second American generation.
Former President Jimmy Carter
, through his mother, is thought to be a descendant of the same Johann Valentin Preslar/Presler, the German emigrant ancestor of Elvis Presley, who along with his family reached America and later the then frontier area of the central Carolinas sometime during the mid-18th century. Today, Presley ranks as the 1,825 most common surname
in the United States
.
Also:
As a first or other name:
Variants of the name:
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Presley and variants Pressley and Pressly are thought to be ultimately of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin. Later, if not found in some form originating also in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the name made its way across the border to that country, then on to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The surname came to prominence in the person of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, the American music icon, but the surname appertaining to him is documentable not to be a British Presley/Pressley/Pressly of any similar spelling, but rather a Preslar/Presler, from what is now present-day Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The name transformed into the Anglicized "Presley" in the first or second American generation.
Former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, through his mother, is thought to be a descendant of the same Johann Valentin Preslar/Presler, the German emigrant ancestor of Elvis Presley, who along with his family reached America and later the then frontier area of the central Carolinas sometime during the mid-18th century. Today, Presley ranks as the 1,825 most common surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Also:
- Annette PresleyAnnette PresleyAnnette Sylvia Presley is a New Zealand telecommunications entrepreneur, known as a co-founder of Slingshot, one of New Zealand's largest internet service providers ....
, New Zealand businesswoman - Brian PresleyBrian PresleyBrian Joshua Presley is an American actor.Presley started his career with a handful of guest appearances on television shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Any Day Now, and 7th Heaven....
, American actor - Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, American musician - Gerald PresleyGerald PresleyGerald Presley was a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the mid-1960s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1965 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz....
, Canadian bobsledder - Gladys Presley, Elvis Presley's mother
- Harold Ray PresleyHarold Ray PresleyHarold Ray Presley was the sheriff of Lee County, Mississippi from 1993 to 2001.Harold Ray Presley was one of six children born to Noah Edward and Christine Presley. He attended local schools, but dropped out of school in the tenth grade...
, American law enforcement officer - Hovis PresleyHovis PresleyHovis Presley was an English poet and stand-up comedian from Bolton noted for his down to earth humour.Born as Richard Henry McFarlane, he attended Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton and went on to graduate from Bradford University...
, English comedian - Jenna PresleyJenna PresleyJenna Presley is an American hardcore pornographic actress from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She started in the porn industry in 2005.- Biography :...
, American porn star - Jim PresleyJim PresleyJames Arthur Presley is a former Major League Baseball infielder with an eight year career from 1984 to 1991. He played for the Seattle Mariners of the American League and the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres of the National League. He was primarily a third baseman but also saw some time...
, American baseball player - Leo PresleyLeo PresleyLeonard Grady Presley was an American football center and fullback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma. He was the very first head football coach at Del City High School, in 1953...
, American footballer - Lisa Marie PresleyLisa Marie PresleyLisa Marie Presley is an American singer and songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.-Early life:...
, Elvis Presley's daughter - Priscilla PresleyPriscilla PresleyPriscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
, Elvis Presley's wife - Reg PresleyReg PresleyReg Presley is an English singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer with prominent 1960s rock and roll band The Troggs, whose best known hit was "Wild Thing", though their only UK number one single was "With A Girl Like You"...
, English singer/songwriter - Sam Davis Presley, American sailor
- Sharon PresleySharon PresleySharon Presley is an American libertarian and individualist anarchist feminist, writer, activist, and retired professor of psychology. She was also co-founder and former co-proprietor of Laissez Faire Books, which was once regarded as the largest libertarian bookstore.- Academic career :Presley...
, American activist - Teagan PresleyTeagan PresleyTeagan Presley is an American pornographic actress. Her stage name in part comes from her parents initially wanting to call her "Teagan" and in part as an homage to Lisa Marie Presley.- Career :...
, American porn star - Vernon Presley, Elvis Presley's father
- Wayne PresleyWayne PresleyWayne Presley is a retired professional ice hockey right winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1984–85 until 1995–96....
, American ice hockey player
As a first or other name:
- James Presley BallJames Presley BallJames Presley Ball, Sr. was a prominent African-American photographer, abolitionist, and businessman.-Biography:Ball was born in Frederick County, Virginia to William and Susan Ball in 1825. He learned daguerreotype photography from John B...
, American daguerreotypist - Presley ChweneyagaePresley ChweneyagaePresley Chweneyagae is a South African actor, best known for starring in the film Tsotsi, which won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards...
, South African actor - Presley Underwood Ewing, American politician
- Presley T. GlassPresley T. GlassPresley Thornton Glass was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 10th congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:...
, American politician - Presley Neville O’Bannon, American soldier
- Presley Marion RixeyPresley Marion RixeyRear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey was a Surgeon General of the United States Navy and personal physician to Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.-Biography:...
, American physician - Presley SpruancePresley SpruancePresley Spruance was an American merchant and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist and later the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S...
, American merchant
Variants of the name:
- Anne Pressly, murdered KATV anchorwoman
- Ebenezer Erskine PresslyEbenezer Erskine PresslyEbenezer Erskine Pressly was the first president of Erskine Theological Seminary, beginning his service in 1838.E. E. Pressly was a native of Cedar Springs, South Carolina...
- Jaime PresslyJaime PresslyJaime Elizabeth Pressly is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning one, as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award...
, American actress - Chris PressleyChris PressleyChris Pressley is an American professional football player who is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals. He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing for five years for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers...
, American professional football player - Harold PressleyHarold PressleyHarold Pressley is an American former professional basketball player. He spent four years in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings between 1986 and 1990 before playing a major role in Joventut Badalona's success both in the Spanish league and the Euroleague until 1993.- College :After attending Saint...
, former American basketball player - Henry Roosevelt PressleyHenry Roosevelt PressleyHenry Roosevelt Pressley, Sr. was an African American blues and soul instrumentalist from Edgefield County, South Carolina.He was born in the post-Depression era and prohibition, during the onset of World War II, and prior to the recognized inception of the American Civil Rights movement...
, blues and soul instrumentalist - Janet PressleyJanet PressleyJanet Pressley is an American singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio, who founded the Blue Jordan Coffeehouse which later became Blue Jordan Records. She has released two full length records on the label; Late Last Night and A Deeper State Of Blue. She also released a special EP entitled Songs To...
, American singer/songwriter - Robert PressleyRobert PressleyRobert Pressley is a former NASCAR driver who is now the promoter at Kingsport Speedway.-Beginnings:...
, former NASCAR driver - Steven PressleySteven PressleySteven John "Elvis" Pressley is a retired Scottish footballer, who is now the manager of Scottish First Division club Falkirk. Pressley had a long playing career, playing for both halves of the Old Firm and making over 100 league appearances for both Dundee United and Hearts...
, Scottish footballer