Prescott is of English origin; habitational name from any of the places so called, in southwestern Lancashire (now Merseyside), Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, and Devon, all of which are named from Old English preost \342\200\230priest\342\200\231 + cot \342\200\230cottage\342\200\231, \342\200\230dwelling\342\200\231. The surname is most common in Lancashire, and so it seems likely that the first of these places is the most frequent source.