Show ContentsDustin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Dustin come from when the family resided near a stony hill. Dustin is derived from two Old English elements: dun and stan. Dun was a word for hill, and stan meant "stony." The translation of the name is therefore "stony hill." 1

It is also possible that the name is patronymic; that is, derived from the name of a parent. Dunstan was a popular given name in England in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Dustin family

The surname Dustin was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The earliest reference of the name was of Saint Dunstan (c.909-988,) who was an Abbot of Glastonbury, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the son of Heorstan, a West-Saxon noble, whose estate lay near Glastonbury. 2

Durston is a village and civil parish in Somerset that dates back to the Domesday Books where it lists Roger Arundel as originally holding the land but later passed to William de Arlegh who founded the priory of Buckland Sororum (also known as Buckland Priory) in about 1167.

"The earliest mention of Tehidy [Cornwall] occurs so early as the year 1100; at which time Alan de Dunstanville, who was then lord of the manor, and with whose female descendant William Basset married, granted a lease of Min winnion, now situated in the park, to Paul Guyer. This grant is said to have been renewed to Richard the son of Paul Guyer, about the year 1140 by William Basset, whose marriage with Cecilia, the heiress of Alan de Dunstanville, must have taken place some time between the dates of these two grants." 3

The market-town and parish of Shiffnall in Shropshire was home to another branch of the family. "This place, formerly called Idsall, appears to have been of greater note than it is at present. It belonged to Earl Morcar prior to the Conquest, and at a period considerably later was the property of the family of Dunstanville, one of whom, Walter de Dunstanville, by the special command of Henry III., resided in the Marches, to protect them against the ravaging incursions of the Welsh. The estate afterwards came into the possession of the Badlesmeres, who obtained from Edward I. a market for two days in the week, and two yearly fairs." 4

John Danstin, Dastyn or Daustin (fl. 1320), was an early English alchemist who "occupied, the foremost place among the alchemists of his time, and was the only master of his art in England. Originally a monk, he gave himself up to philosophical inquiries, and was reduced to the utmost poverty. The only record which remains to fix the period when Dastin lived is a letter which he addressed to Pope John XXII." 2

Interestingly, Colonel George Durston was a collective pseudonym used by the Saalfield Publishing Company as the author of various American series books in the early 20th century.

Early History of the Dustin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dustin research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1291, 1720 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Dustin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dustin Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Dustin has been recorded under many different variations, including Dunstan, Dunston, Dunstone, Dunstane, Donston, Dunstavill, Dunstanville and many more.

Early Notables of the Dustin family

More information is included under the topic Early Dustin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dustin Ranking

In the United States, the name Dustin is the 7,542nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5


Dustin migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Dustin or a variant listed above:

Dustin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Josiah Dustin, who landed in Reading, Massachusetts in 1647 6

Dustin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dustin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Duylea U.E. who settled in Adolphus Town [Adolphustown], Ontario c. 1784 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Dustin (post 1700) +

  • W. O. Dustin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1916 8
  • Miles H. Dustin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Rochester 2nd Ward, 1938 8
  • Daniel H. Dustin, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, 1853-54 8
  • Daniel Dustin, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 16th District, 1856-57 8
  • Charles W. Dustin, American politician, Circuit Judge in Ohio 2nd Circuit, 1904-13 8
  • John Dustin Archbold (1848-1916), American business magnet, one of the United States' earliest oil refiners; his small oil company was bought out by John D Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company
  • Curtis Dustin Zeigler (b. 1973), former American football offensive lineman
  • Charles Dustin Coffin (1805-1880), American politician, Representative from Ohio 17th District, 1837-39 9
  • Dustin Earl Belt (b. 1987), American guitarist, music producer and actor, founding member of the indie pop duo, Heffron Drive
  • Dustin Penner (b. 1982), Canadian former professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 2005 to 2014


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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