Houston Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Houston last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Houston last name
Meaning of the Houston last name: hugh's town. Houston is a Scottish surname taken from the barony of Houston in Renfrewshire, named "Hugh's town" after a twelfth-century landholder. Families with this last name spread through the west of Scotland, and many crossed to Ulster and then to Pennsylvania and Virginia. A curious detail: Sam Houston, who led Texas to independence, gave his name to the city of Houston, one of America's largest.
Arms associated with the Houston name
In Scotland a coat of arms is strictly personal and still overseen by the Court of the Lord Lyon, so each blazon associated with the Houston name belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full Houston family history
This is only a glimpse of the Houston story. The full Houston history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Houston coat of arms. Get the full Houston report.
Houston name FAQ
What does the Houston name mean?
Hugh's town. Common variants include Houstoun, Huston, Hewston.
Where does the Houston surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a Houston coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Houston coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).