Surname:Houston

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Contents

Origin of Surname

There are a number of separate theories as to the origin of this surname.

1) A toponym derived from a location in Renfrewshire at onetime known as "Hugh's Town".
Source:Huston, 1912:11. The early history of the Huston family can be traced back to the thirteenth century and to probably a soldier of fortune whose arms had largely aided the then King of Scotland, and who was rewarded with what now constitutes the Houston estate, near Johnstone, Scotland. Crawford's history of Renfrewshire gives the following account of the origin and progress of the family. This donation is in the reign of Malcomb the IV, as also in the same reign the lands of Kilpeter in Strathgrief are given by Baldwin de Bigress to Hugh de Padvinaw from which Hugh these lands were called Hugh's town, of whom is linneally descended, Sir John Houston....
Ancestry. Habitational name from a place near Glasgow, Scotland, named with the genitive case of the medieval personal name Hugh + Middle English tune, toun ‘settlement’, ‘village’ (Old English tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’). The landlord in question is a certain Hugo de Paduinan, who held the place c.1160.
Comment: This is probably the most commonly seen explanation of the surname. Some have stated that the ancestor of ALL person's bearing the Houston surname came from "Hugh's Town".


2) A corruption of "House-Son"
Source:Houston, 1912:189. The family name was originally House-Son. The remotest member of the family, whose name has come down through the family register, was named Robert House-Son, was of Celtic origin, and was born in Dublin, Ireland, July 5, 1450, where he lived and died a merchant. John House-Son was born June 2, 1475, was a son of Robert. He was sent by his father to St. Andrew's College in Scotland....
3) From a Patronymic derived from a [once] common Gaelic Given name
Ancestry. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Uisdein, Mac Uistein.
Comment: ie, Son of Usdein/Ustein; the surname McQuiston may have evolved from this form].

Common Variants

There are a number of common variant spellings which seem to be used more or less interchangeably at an early date; some of the antique spellings are preserved in family surnames today, but most which have become standardized to variants such as "Houston", "Huston" and "McQuiston". A partial listing of antique forms includes

Houston
Huston
Housson
Housstown
Houstone
Housstoune
McQuiston
Quiston

Bibliography

  1. Source:Houston, 1912 Deals with Houston's of Cumberland County PA, but incorporates the family line of General Samuel Houston, whom the author considers a relative.

1790 Census

Source: The following was extracted from Ancestry.com for some of the more common surname variants. These data are organized by State, County, then Township if given

Given Last Township County State White
males
<16
White
Males
<16
White
Females
Slaves Other Total
John Houston Voluntown Windham CN 1 1 3 1 1 5
Thomas Huston Williamstown Berkshire MA 3 1 6 10
Wm Hewston Plymouth Plymouth MA 2 2 4 8
James Hewston East Nottingham Cecil MD 1 2 2 5
William Huston South Susquehannah Hundred Cecil MD 1 4 5
Hugh Hughston Harford MD 2 1 6 9
Wm Huston Harford MD 1 1 1 3
Mary Huston Harford MD 1 4 5
James Houston Kent MD 2 6 2 1 3 10
Capt Isaac Houston Worcester MD 2 3 8 13
Capt James Houston Worcester MD 1 2 4 7
Jno Houston Worcester MD 1 1
Joseph Houston Worcester MD 2 4 7 6
Levi Houston Worcester MD 3 1 2 6
Ralph Houston Worcester MD 2 5 7
Wm Houston Worcester MD 2 1 2 5
Simon Huston Gorham and Scarborough Cumberland ME 2 3 4 9
Robert Houston Belfast Hancock ME 1 1 1 3
Samuel Junior Houston Belfast Hancock ME 1 1 4 6
Samuel Houston Belfast Hancock ME 1 3 2 6
James Huston Waldoborough Lincoln ME 1 5 5 11
John Huston Waldoborough Lincoln ME 2 2 5 9
Robert Huston Waldoborough Lincoln ME 3 4 7
Robert Huston Waldoborough Lincoln ME 2 1 3 6
Robert Junior Huston Waldoborough Lincoln ME 2 3 5 10
John Huston Sanford York ME 1 2 3 6
Edward Houston Duplin NC 4 1 1 6 6
Edward Houston Duplin NC 3 1 1 6 5
Henry Houston Duplin NC 2 2 7 5 11
Samuel, Esq Esquire Houston Duplin NC 1 2 4 18 7
William Ann Houston Duplin NC 1 3 4
Hugh Huston Hyde NC 1 1 2 7 4
James Huston Iredell NC 1 1 1 2
James Huston Iredell NC 2 2 4
Joseph Huston Iredell NC 1 2 4 1 7
Christopher Huston Iredell NC 3 2 4 6 9
James Huston Iredell NC 3 1 5 2 9
Samuel Huston Iredell NC 3 1 5 9
Francis Houston Jones NC 1 4 4 5
James Houston Jones NC 1 1 1 3
James Houston Jones NC 1 1
Capt William Houston Mecklenburg NC 2 2 3 4 7
David Houston Mecklenburg NC 1 1 2 4
Henry Houston Mecklenburg NC 1 2 1 3
Hugh Houston Mecklenburg NC 3 1 4 4
James Houston Mecklenburg NC 1 3 2 5 6
William Houston Mecklenburg NC 2 2 2 6
William Senior Houston Mecklenburg NC 1 3 1 4
William Junior Houston Mecklenburg NC 1 3 1 4
Daniel Houston Robeson NC 5 1 1 1 7
James Huston Rowan NC 1 2 3
Widow Huston Rowan NC 1 3 4
Thomas Huston Rowan NC 4 2 2 8
James Houston Sampson NC 1 1
Peter Houston Sampson NC 2 6 8
Christopher Huston Caswell NC 0
George Huston Caswell NC 0
James Huston Caswell NC 0
William Huston Caswell NC 0
Richd Huston Guilford NC 1 1 1 3
Alexander Houston Acworth Cheshire NH 1 3 6 10
Caleb Houston Rindge Cheshire NH 1 1 2 4
Priscilla Houston Rindge Cheshire NH 2 2
William Houston Antrim Hillsborough NH 1 1 4 6
James Houston Bedford Hillsborough NH 1 3 4
John Houston Bedford Hillsborough NH 1 4 1 6
Jos Houston Bedford Hillsborough NH 3 1 6 10
Samuel Houston Lyndeborough Hillsborough NH 4 2 3 9
Saml Houston Peterborough Hillsborough NH 3 1 5 9
Isaac Houston Concord Rockingham NH 3 3 6
James Huston Balls Town Albany NY 1 2 3
James Huston Saratoga Albany NY 2 1 3 6
William Houston Phillipstown Dutchess NY 2 3 2 5
David Houston New Utrick Kings NY 3 1 1 4
Caleb Huston Mohawk Montgomery NY 1 3 4
James Hughston Montgomery Ulster NY 1 3 3 4 7
Joseph Hughston Montgomery Ulster NY 2 2 2 4 6
George Hughston Wallkill Ulster NY 1 3 4
Zebulon Hughston Wallkill Ulster NY 1 1 3 1 5
Alixander Hughston Bedford PA 1 1 2
Andrew Hughston Bedford PA 1 1 2 4
Edward Hughston Bedford PA 2 1 2 5
Robert Hughston Bedford PA 1 1 4 6
William Hughston Bedford PA 3 1 4 8
Robt Houston East Nantmill Chester PA 2 5 5 12
John Huston New London Chester PA 2 2 3 7
Thomas Huston Pennsbury Chester PA 1 1 2
Alexandre Gordan Huston Various* Cumberland PA 2 4 6
Christopher Huston Various* Cumberland PA 1 1 2 4
James Huston Various* Cumberland PA 3 2 4 9
John Huston Various* Cumberland PA 1 3 2 6
John Huston Various* Cumberland PA 3 1 5 9
John Huston Various* Cumberland PA 3 1 4 8
Jonathan Huston Various* Cumberland PA 2 1 3 6
Phillip Huston Various* Cumberland PA 1 1 2
Robert Huston Various* Cumberland PA 1 1
Robt Huston Various* Cumberland PA 1 3 4
Thomas Huston Various* Cumberland PA 3 2 1 6
William Huston Various* Cumberland PA 5 2 4 11
Wm Huston Various* Cumberland PA 3 1 5 9
William Huston Upper Chichester Delaware PA 2 4 6
Adam Huston German Fayette PA 1 1
Andrew Huston German Fayette PA 5 1 4 10
John Huston German Fayette PA 2 1 1 4
William Huston Tyrone Fayette PA 1 5 6
Joseph Huston Union Fayette PA 1 1
David Huston Various** Franklin PA 5 4 5 14
James Huston Various** Franklin PA 2 1 5 7 8
John Huston Various** Franklin PA 2 1 4 7
John Hughston Franklin PA 2 1 2 5
Wm Hughston Franklin PA 2 2
William Huston Huntingdon PA 0
Richard Huston Huntingdon PA 1 2 3
Robert Huston Huntingdon PA 2 2 4
William Huston Huntingdon PA 1 1 2 4
Mathew Huston Huntingdon PA 1 2 2 5
Alexander Huston Huntingdon PA 6 2 3 11
John Huston Caernarvon Lancaster PA 2 1 4 7
Thomas Huston Donegal Lancaster PA 1 1 2 4
Danl Huston Leacock Lancaster PA 2 4 6 1 12
Saml Huston Salisbury Lancaster PA 2 2
William Huston Mifflin PA 3 1 3 7
James Huston Mifflin PA 2 1 6 9
John Huston Mifflin PA 2 1 6 9
Abigail Huston Mifflin PA 5 1 4 10
John Huston Hamilton Northampton PA 3 1 4 8
Robert Huston Northumberland PA 1 1
Paul Huston Northumberland PA 1 2 2 5
William Huston Northumberland PA 3 1 3 7
William Huston Northumberland PA 2 1 4 1 1 7
John Hughston Germantown Philadelphia PA 4 1 4 9
Mattw Huston Kingsessing Town Philadelphia PA 1 2 3 6
Henry Huston Northern Liberties Philadelphia PA 1 2 3
James (Boardg House) Huston Water Street East Side Philadelphia PA 1 3 5 9
James (Grocer) Huston Water Street East Side Philadelphia PA 1 2 3
Mary (Widow) Huston Water Street East Side Philadelphia PA 2 5 7
James Huston Armstrong Washington PA 1 0
William Huston Washington PA 4 1 6 2 11
Daniel Huston Washington PA 1 1 2 4
James Huston Washington PA 1 1 2 4
John Huston Washington PA 1 1 2 4
Jno Huston Washington PA 2 3 5
Paul Huston Washington PA 1 1 4 6
William Huston Washington PA 1 4 4 9
Robert Huston South Huntington Westmoreland PA 2 1 2 5
Jno Huston Hellam York PA 4 1 4 4 9
Cathrine Houston Abbeville SC 1 3 5 1 9
James Huston Abbeville SC 1 2 3
George Huston Abbeville SC 1 1 2 4
Hugh Huston Abbeville SC 1 3 4
Saml Huston Abbeville SC 1 3 8 2 12
Mary Houston Beaufort SC 2 6 2
Carl Huston Beaufort SC 0
Ben Huston Edgefield SC 1 1 1 3
John Huston Fairfield SC 3 1 5 9
James Huston Newberry SC 1 1 3 5
John Huston Newberry SC 3 2 3 8
Wm Huston Rupert Bennington VT 1 1 2 4
  • Various = Hopewell, Newton, Tyborn, and Westpensboro, per Ancestry Extraction, but other townships may be included in this group as well.
    • Various = Fannet, Hamilton, Letterkenney, Montgomery, and Peters