Surname Ouston - Meaning and Origin
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Ouston: What does the surname Ouston mean?
The last name Ouston is a local surname, which means it was derived from a place or geographical feature near where the original bearer of the name lived. Ouston is a toponymic surname, derived from a place-name in the county of Durham, England. The Old English name of the town, Ustingtun, meant ‘outlying farmstead or village’. Closely related variants of the Ouston surname include Ouston, Owston and Owstone.
The case of the Ouston surname was mainly in the North East of England. The earliest recorded instance of the name was of a ‘Walter Unston’ of Durham, listed in the Feet of Fines in 1282. During the Middle Ages, families had a distinctive mark, known as a 'byname'. This could be an occupation, nicknames or physical features that identified one particular person from another. Over time, these 'bynames' evolved into true family surnames; and the Ouston family is thought to have acquired their name as a result of their ancestral origin in some village or hamlet.
Today, people with the surname Ouston are mainly found in the North East of England where the original ancestral home was located. It is estimated that there are around 1,500 individuals with the Ouston name living in the United Kingdom.
Order DNA origin analysisOuston: Where does the name Ouston come from?
The last name Ouston is most commonly associated with two different regions: Northern England and, to a lesser extent, Southern Wales.
Most notably, Ouston has been found in the North East region of England near Newcastle, where records show that the name was present as early as the year 1234. It has also been popular in nearby North Yorkshire, particularly in Yorkshire’s East Riding.
In Wales, Ouston can be found predominantly in Gwent, an area that includes parts of Monmouthshire, Newport, and Torfaen. Records suggest that the name traces its Welsh origins back to the 13th century.
Outside of the UK, the surname can be found in small pockets of communities in Canada, the United States, and Australia.
Overall, the last name Ouston today is still more prominently associated with Northern England and Southern Wales, with small but widespread pockets of use elsewhere.
Variations of the surname Ouston
The surname Ouston is most commonly found in England and Ireland. Variants of the name include Easton, Oston, Ustin, Ustinov, Oustonius and Ustina. The Easton spelling is most commonly found in England, while variants with an "U" at the start are more common in Ireland. It is believed that the surname derived from the Old English pre 7th century word "east" which was used to describe someone who lived to the east of a particular settlement.
Variations of the surname Ouston include Easton, Oston, Ousten, Uston, Ustine, Ustinov, Ustina, and Oustonius. The most common variation of the name is Easton, which is mainly found in England. The other variants are more common in Ireland and are thought to have derived from the old Irish Gaelic name Uistean which means ‘east’.
Surnames that are the same origin as Ouston include Eastwood, East, Eustace, Estes, O’Easton, and O’Ustin. Eastwood is an English surname derived from the Old English pre 7th Century words "easte", meaning east, and "wudu", meaning wood. The surname East is also derived from the Old English pre 7th century word "east", which was used to describe someone who lived to the east of a particular settlement. The surname Eustace is of Anglo-Norman origin and was also used to refer to someone who lived to the east of a settlement. The surnames O’Easton and O’Ustin are both derived from the Irish Gaelic surname Uistean, which means ‘east’.
Overall, the variations and spellings of the surname Ouston are a testament to the many different linguistic influences the name has experienced over the years. From its Old English origins to its Irish roots, the Ouston surname has been through a number of changes and adjustments to become the name it is today.
Famous people with the name Ouston
- Anne Ouston: Member of the British House of Lords.
- Bill Ouston: Professional golfer.
- Calvin Ouston: Retired British professional footballer.
- David Ouston: Award-winning British film director.
- Eric Ouston: English mathematician and a pioneer in the development of computers in the 1950s.
- Gordon Ouston: Professional boxer.
- John Ouston: Descendant of Ana Nzinga, the queen of the Ndongo people in what is now Angola.
- Justin Ouston: Actor.
- Malcolm Ouston: British stage and television actor.
- Martin Ouston: English actor, choreographer and stilt-walker.
- Mark Ouston: English landscape photographer.
- Noel Ouston: Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
- Peter Ouston: English author and historian.
- Philip Ouston: Contemporary poet and playwright.
- Richard Ouston: English actor and comedian.
- William Ouston: British sculptor and visual artist.