Coston
An English surname probably formed from a place-name, most likely meaning “of Cote/Cotgrave” rather than from a personal trait.
The #6,788 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,134 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest early evidence points to Coston as a locational surname. Lower notes a 17th-century form and connects it with English places such as Coston in Leicestershire and Norfolk, treating it as a surname taken from a parish or settlement name. The place-name itself is likely to go back to Old English elements for a cottage or enclosure, though the exact local source can vary by county.
History
As with many English locational surnames, Coston would originally have identified someone who had come from a place of that name. The name appears in historical records by the 17th century, and later spread beyond England through migration, including to North America. The modern U.S. presence is modest but well established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
There are multiple English place-names that could lie behind this surname, so not every family called Coston necessarily comes from the same origin point.
From the historical record
“the XVII. cent. COSTON. Parislies in cos. Leicester aud Norfolk. COTE. See Cott. COTGRAVE. A parish in co. Notting- ham. De Cotegrave occurs in that county in H.R. There was also a Cheshire family of this name. Thomas, one of the grand- sons of the gi-eat William Belward, Lord of Malpas, held the lands of Cotgrave…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom