Show ContentsHoustan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Houstan is the medieval Scottish given name Hugh. Houstan 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 Houstan family

The surname Houstan 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 Houstan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Houstan 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 Houstan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houstan 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 Houstan 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 Houstan 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 Houstan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Houstan family to Ireland

Some of the Houstan 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.


New Zealand Houstan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Houstan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas S. Houstan, aged 29, a farm labourer, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
  • Marianne Houstan, aged 24, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
  • James Houstan, aged 5, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
  • Alexander E. Houstan, aged under 1, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849


  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)


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