Surname Owston - Meaning and Origin
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Owston: What does the surname Owston mean?
The last name Owston is an English surname meaning “of the oak tree settlement” which refers to a place where there are large oak trees. The origin of the name is from “Oxton”, which is derived from the Old English “ac” meaning “oak” and “tun” meaning “town or settlement”. Evidence of the name can be found on an old map inHoldenby parish in Leicestershire, dating back to the 15th century.
The Owstons are thought to be among the ancient Norman families of Britain. Records show that the earliest mention of the name was of Ralph Ouston, whose name appears in 1282 in the Assize Rolls of Greater Lancashire. Later, the name was recorded as Owston in the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire in 1379. The family then increased in popularity throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Surnames of British origin are usually derived from a variety of sources. This surname could have been a locational name taken on by a family who moved from one place to another, or it could have come from a nickname that was eventually adopted as a surname. Often, the name Owston refers to a connection to oak trees or a certain settlement. It could also have been a reference to the attributes of the original bearer, such as strength and bravery, which are often associated with the majestic oak tree.
Order DNA origin analysisOwston: Where does the name Owston come from?
The last name Owston is most commonly found today in the United Kingdom. Historically, Owston was a common surname in the counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, though in modern times the distribution of the name has shifted. The town of Owston is still located in Leicestershire, and the surname is particularly common in the East Midlands region, where there are several towns named Owston. Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Warwickshire are also regions where the name is relatively more common. The name is also found in other parts of Britain, including Greater London, where Owston remains an uncommon surname.
Globally, the name is less common. The largest concentration of the Owston surname outside of the UK is in Australia, where it is particularly common in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, and the island nation of New Zealand. There are also smaller numbers of Owstons in the United States, primarily in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, as well as in Canada.
Throughout its history, the name has consistently been spelled Owston, rarely variating to Owestone or Uston. Today, there are about 1290 individuals in the UK who bear the Owston surname. As such Owston is by no means a common surname, but its rarity is offset by its deep historical roots in Britain and the fact that it is still relatively evenly distributed throughout the country.
Variations of the surname Owston
Owston is a habitational surname from Owston, a village in North Yorkshire, England. It is thought to have derived from Old English up, meaning 'high' or 'upper' and tun, meaning farm or estate, thus a high or upper estate. It has a variety of spellings and variants, including Oswin (from Old English Osborn), Ouston (from Old English Oustne), Ouston (from Old English Oustne), Owsten, Owstenne, Oustin, Ostin, Austin, Addiston, and Easttin. It is also possible for this surname to be a variant of the German Oswald, meaning ‘ruler of God’ or ‘divine power’.
Ouston and Owston are the most common variants. Ouston is the French form of Owston, derived from Old English Oustne, with other variants being Owstonne, Owsten, Ostin and Easttin. The variant Austin is derived from the personal name Augustine, with the spelling originating from the Latin given name ‘Augustinus’. The given name in turn is derived from the Latin word ‘augustus’, meaning ‘magnificent’.
The variant Addiston is derived from the Middle English sleight name Addetun, from the Old French word ‘adetun’, meaning ‘family estate’.
Overall, the Owston surname has many variants, deriving from both Old English and Germanic origins. Some of these variants include Ouston, Owstenne, Oustin, Ostin, Austin, Addiston and Easttin.
Famous people with the name Owston
- Sir Kenneth Owston (1852: 1926): British businessman, a leading figure in British industry and philanthropy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Stanley Owston (1869: 1945): Canadian physician, paddler, and conservationist. He is regarded as one of the most influential conservationists in Canada in the first half of the twentieth century.
- Joseph Owston (1892: 1958): British entomologist, a pioneering figure in the field of ecotoxicology.
- Percy Marmaduke Owston (1893: 1983): British engineer who trained under notable industrialist Joseph Rank, and later went on to lead various engineering companies in the UK.
- Annaliese Owston (born 1995): Canadian skeleton racer who competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
- Mark Owston (born 1995): American actor who is best known for his role as Evan in the Netflix drama series The Society (2019).