2000
#4,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.68
Rare Last name
Johnstone
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a settlement of John's people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,229 Americans carry the last name Johnstone. That puts it at #4,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Johnstone surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Johnstone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,652
Census rank
#4,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,176 bearers of the surname Johnstone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Johnstone
The surname Johnstone has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "Johan" and "tun," meaning "John's town" or "John's settlement." The name was initially associated with individuals residing in the town of Johnstone, located in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
The earliest recorded instances of the Johnstone surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles and landowners swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is that of Gilbert de Jonestone, a landowner from Dumfriesshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Johnstone family played a significant role in Scottish history. In the 14th century, Sir John Johnstone was a prominent figure who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. His descendants, the Johnstones of Annandale, became one of the most influential families in the region.
The Johnstone surname has also been recorded in various historical documents, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland (1264-1600) and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (1306-1688). These records provide insights into the family's land holdings, transactions, and notable individuals.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Johnstone surname was Sir Adam Johnstone, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Annandale. Another notable figure was John Johnstone (1570-1611), a Scottish mathematician and traveler who explored parts of Europe and published works on navigation and cartography.
In the 16th century, the Johnstones were embroiled in a long-standing feud with the Maxwell family, known as the "Johnstone-Maxwell Feud." This fierce rivalry between the two powerful clans lasted for several decades and was marked by numerous battles and skirmishes.
During the 17th century, James Johnstone (1616-1681) was a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Clerk Register and Lord Advocate of Scotland. He played a significant role in the Edinburgh Convention of Estates in 1678.
Other notable individuals with the Johnstone surname include Samuel Johnstone (1733-1816), a British colonial administrator and the first president of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and Edward Johnstone (1757-1851), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Johnstone
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Johnstone bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Johnstone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 6,358
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 276
- Two or more races3.5% · 250
- Black or African American2.6% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Johnstone
Johnstone appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,313
+86 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 305 places
2020
#4,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,176
-137 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,520 | 7,227 | 2.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,825 | 7,313 | 2.48 | +86 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 305 places |
| 2020 | #4,782 | 7,176 | 2.40 | -137 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 43 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Johnstone surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,825 | #4,782 | 0.9% |
| Count | 7,313 | 7,176 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.40 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Johnstone bearers went from 7,313 to 7,176 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,825 to #4,782.
FAQ
Johnstone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Johnstone?
Name Census estimates that about 8,229 living Americans carry the surname Johnstone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,652 residents.
How common is Johnstone?
Johnstone ranks #4,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,176 people with the surname Johnstone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Johnstone.
Has Johnstone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Johnstone went from 7,313 recorded bearers to 7,176. That is a decrease of 137 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,825 to #4,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Johnstone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Johnstone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (6,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Johnstone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Johnstone (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Johnstone mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a settlement of John's people. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Johnstone (2.40 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Johnstone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.