Find out how popular the last name Featherston is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Featherston.

Featherston, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Featherston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Featherston in America

Featherston is the 10717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Featherston surname appeared 2,981 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Featherston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Featherston to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Featherston

The surname Featherston has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the village of Featherstone in Yorkshire, or Featherston in Northumberland. The name likely originated from the Old English words "feother," meaning feather, and "stan," meaning stone or rock, suggesting a connection to a place with a notable rock formation or a landscape feature resembling a feather.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Featherston can be found in the Yorkshire Parish Records of 1594, which mention a Thomas Featherston. Additionally, the Hearth Tax returns of 1673 list several Featherston families residing in the village of Featherstone, Yorkshire.

The Featherston surname has historical ties to the noble families of England. In the 17th century, Sir Thomas Featherston was a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace in Staffordshire. His son, Sir William Featherston, played a significant role in the English Civil War, serving as a colonel in the Parliamentarian army.

Another notable figure bearing the Featherston surname was Sir Harry Featherston (1755-1828), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament. He was also appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man in 1804.

In the 19th century, Isaac Featherston (1813-1876) was a New Zealand politician and surveyor. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the city of Wellington and served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament.

The Featherston surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, the town of Featherston in New Zealand's Wairarapa region was named after Isaac Featherston, the former Superintendent of the Wellington Province.

Other notable individuals with the Featherston surname include George Featherston (1788-1855), an English architect known for his work on the Birmingham Town Hall, and John Featherston (1840-1920), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the late 19th century.

While the Featherston surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with descendants of the original Featherston families now residing in various countries, including New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Featherston

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Featherston.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Featherston was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Featherston has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Featherston was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Featherston, please contact us.

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