Show ContentsHuston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Huston is the medieval Scottish given name Hugh. Huston is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. In general, patronyms were derived from either the first name of the father of the bearer, or from the names of famous religious and secular figures. By and large, surnames descending from one's father's name were the most common. The surname also came from the place called Houston, near Glasgow. In Old English, the name Houston, meant the settlement belonging to Hugh. 1

Early Origins of the Huston family

The surname Huston was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were descended from a Scottish knight, Hugh de Paduinan, who in 1165 founded the town of Houston in that shire.

"The ancient family of Houston originally bore the name of Paduinan, from a place of that name in Lanarkshire. In the reign of Malcolm IV Baldwin de Bigre gave the lands of Kilpeter to Hugh de Paduinan, who appears as a witness to the foundation charter of the Abbey of Paisley between 1165-1173." 2

Early History of the Huston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Huston research. Another 323 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1341, 1406, 1415, 1435, 1460, 1525, 1527, 1550, 1601, 1605, 1650, 1662, 1688, 1696, 1730 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Huston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Huston Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Huston has appeared as Houston, Houstown, Huston, Hueston, Hughston, Hughstone, Houstone, Houstowne, Houstoun, Huestoun, Huestown, Huestowne, Hughstoun, Hughstown, Hughstowne, MacHouston, MacHuston, MacCuiston, McCuiston and many more.

Early Notables of the Huston family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Ludovick (or Louis) Houstoun of that Ilk (d.1662); Sir Patrick Houstoun of that Ilk, 1st Baronet, (d.1696); Sir John Houstoun of that Ilk, 2nd...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Huston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Huston Ranking

In the United States, the name Huston is the 2,060th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Huston family to Ireland

Some of the Huston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Huston migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Huston were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

Huston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Huston, who settled in Virginia in 1652
  • John Huston, who settled in Virginia in in 1656
Huston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Huston, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1811 4
  • Archibald Huston, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 4
  • George Huston, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 4
  • Hugh Huston, aged 19, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 4
  • William Huston, aged 21, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Huston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Huston Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Henry Huston, aged 50, who landed in Quebec in 1834
  • John Huston, aged 25, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
  • Robert Huston, aged 19, who landed in Quebec in 1834

Australia Huston migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Huston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Huston, (b. 1783), aged 44, Irish convict who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1827 shortly after arrival 5
  • Anne Huston, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Contemporary Notables of the name Huston (post 1700) +

  • Tillinghast L'Hommedieu "Cap" Huston (1867-1938), American co-owner of the Major League Baseball team that became the New York Yankees (1915-1922)
  • Roger Huston (b. 1942), known as "The Voice", American harness race announcer who has announced over 167,000 races
  • Perdita Constance Huston (1936-2001), American journalist and women's rights activist, inspiration for the Perdita Huston Human Rights Award
  • Martin W. "Marty" Huston (1941-2001), American actor of television and stage
  • John Huston (b. 1976), American polar explorer, motivational speaker and wilderness guide who completed the first successful unsupported American expedition to the North Pole
  • Daniel Sallis "Danny" Huston (b. 1962), American actor, writer and director
  • Charlie Huston, American author of crime novels and superhero comic books
  • Walter Huston (1885-1950), Canadian-born, American Academy Award-winning actor, father of actor and director John Huston
  • John Huston (b. 1961), American PGA professional golfer
  • Anjelica Huston (b. 1951), American Academy Award-winning actress
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Miss Nellie Huston, English 2nd Class passenger from Wallasey, Cheshire, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 6


Suggested Readings for the name Huston +

  • The Descendants of James Huston. With Related Families of the Berard Johnson, Trowbridge, Rugg, Case, Brigham, Fiske, Newton, and McKitrick by Edith H. Hurlbutt.
  • The History of John Huston From North Carolina to Alabama, His Huson/Huston/Houston Descendants, and the Allied Pioneer Families of Clepper, Robinson, Deen and Gilmore by Margarette Hall Wood.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  6. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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