Johnstone
A surname that usually began as a place-based name, especially from the Scottish and English place-names Johnston/Johnstone.
The #4,825 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,219 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Johnstone is a locational surname taken from places called Johnston or Johnstone, names built from the personal name John plus Old English stān, meaning “stone” or “rock.” In many cases the place-name likely referred to a notable stone, boundary stone, or stony feature. Because surnames were often adopted by people who left such places, the same spelling could arise independently in different regions.
History
Historical dictionaries place Johnstone among surnames associated with Dumfriesshire and Renfrewshire in Scotland, and it was also noted as fairly common in London directories. Irish surname studies show it spread widely in Ireland as well, with concentrations in several counties and especially Dublin. Over time it was sometimes confused with Johnston, and the two spellings have often overlapped in use.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers treated Johnston and Johnstone as closely related or even interchangeable in records, which is one reason the two spellings can be hard to separate in family history research.
From the historical record
“BapL 'the son of Swain.' Aim>- ruption of Swainson and Swan- son; c£ JohnstoD and Johnstone, strongljr represented in the London IMrectory, and not always locaL Also cf. SnelstoD and Snelson.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances