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

Toston, 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 Toston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Toston in America

Toston is the 51281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Toston surname appeared 406 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Toston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Toston 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 Toston

The surname Toston has its origins in medieval England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "tun" and "stān," which together mean "village of stone" or "stone settlement."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with similar names, such as Tunstede and Tunstall. These place names likely influenced the development of the surname Toston.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toston can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where a certain Richard de Toston is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already become established as a hereditary surname by the late 12th century.

During the medieval period, the Toston family was primarily associated with the county of Northamptonshire, where they held lands and properties. Notable members of the family include Sir John Toston, who served as a knight and fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Toston name began to spread beyond Northamptonshire. Records show that a branch of the family settled in the county of Yorkshire, where they became prominent landowners. One particularly well-known figure from this period was Robert Toston (1520-1588), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the city of York.

As the centuries passed, the Toston surname continued to be found throughout England, with occasional variations in spelling, such as Touston or Towston. In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Toston (1710-1778), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.

Other notable individuals with the surname Toston include:

1. William Toston (1650-1725), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises.
2. Mary Toston (1795-1872), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for girls in Liverpool.
3. George Toston (1817-1891), a celebrated landscape painter whose works are featured in several galleries across England.
4. Richard Toston (1865-1942), a prominent lawyer and judge who served on the High Court of Justice in London.
5. Elizabeth Toston (1920-2005), a highly acclaimed novelist and playwright, known for her works that explored social issues and the lives of ordinary people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Toston

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

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

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

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