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

Royston, 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 Royston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Royston in America

Royston is the 11704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Royston surname appeared 2,678 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 Royston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Royston 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 Royston

The surname Royston originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Royston, which lies on the borders of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The name Royston itself comes from the Old English words 'Roys' meaning 'rye' and 'tun' meaning 'farm' or 'settlement', suggesting it was an agricultural community where rye was grown.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Royston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Crudingae' and 'Cradingae'. This ancient text, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of landholdings in England at the time. The name Royston is thought to have evolved from these early spellings over the centuries.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various legal documents and tax rolls as 'Royston' and 'Roiston'. During this period, the town of Royston grew in importance as a stopping point on the old Roman road, Ermine Street, which ran from London to York.

One notable individual with the surname Royston was Richard Royston, a prominent bookseller and printer in London during the 17th century. Born in 1598, he was known for publishing works by renowned authors such as John Milton and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Another historical figure was John Royston, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic. He served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1551 to 1553. Records show he was born in Royston, Hertfordshire, around 1492.

In the 18th century, Sir Thomas Royston (1707-1788) was a notable English landowner and Member of Parliament. He represented the borough of Thetford in Suffolk from 1741 to 1768.

The name Royston can also be found in various place names across England, such as Royston Heath in Hertfordshire and Royston Cave in Cambridgeshire. These locations likely took their names from the town of Royston itself.

One more individual of note was Elizabeth Royston (1664-1742), an English philanthropist and benefactor. She was known for her charitable works and left a substantial endowment to support education and the poor in her hometown of Royston.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Royston

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

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

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

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