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

Houston, 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 Houston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Houston in America

Houston is the 592nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Houston surname appeared 56,900 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Houston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Houston 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 Houston

The surname HOUSTON has its origins in Scotland, where it emerged in the 12th century as a territorial name. It is derived from the Old English words "hus" meaning house and "tun" meaning town or settlement, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a large or important house in a particular town or village.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname HOUSTON was Nevinus de Houstoune, who was mentioned in a charter granted by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1189. This charter related to lands near the village of Houston in Renfrewshire, suggesting that Nevinus may have been a landowner or prominent figure in that area.

The HOUSTON name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Among those listed were Johannes de Hustone and Reginaldus de Huston, further evidence of the name's early presence in Scotland.

In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the HOUSTON surname was Sir Reginald de Houstone, who was recorded as attending the Parliament of King David II in 1366. He was likely a descendant of the earlier Reginaldus de Huston mentioned in the Ragman Rolls.

Another historical figure with the HOUSTON surname was Sir John Houston, who was born around 1460 and served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James IV of Scotland in the late 15th century. He was instrumental in negotiating the marriage of King James IV to Princess Margaret Tudor of England in 1503.

In the 17th century, Samuel Houston (1609-1662) was a notable Presbyterian minister and scholar from Scotland who played a significant role in the development of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He was also a respected author and published several theological works during his lifetime.

The HOUSTON surname has also been associated with the town of Houston in Renfrewshire, Scotland, which likely derived its name from the surname itself. This town was mentioned in records as early as the 12th century and has been a notable center for the HOUSTON family over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Houston

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

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 Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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