NameCensus.

UK surname

Johnstone

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a settlement of John's people.

In the 1881 census there were 13,626 people recorded with the Johnstone surname, ranking it #298 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,820, ranked #340, down from #298 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Langholm and Eskdale, Annan East and Lockerbie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Johnstone is 18,773 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.8%.

1881 census count

13,626

Ranked #298

Modern count

17,820

2016, ranked #340

Peak year

1901

18,773 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Johnstone had 13,626 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #298 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,820 in 2016, ranked #340.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 18,773 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Johnstone surname distribution map

The map shows where the Johnstone surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Johnstone surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Johnstone over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 6,929 #402
1861 historical 7,687 #363
1881 historical 13,626 #298
1891 historical 15,484 #275
1901 historical 18,773 #263
1911 historical 5,649 #930
1997 modern 16,256 #369
1998 modern 16,872 #371
1999 modern 17,053 #368
2000 modern 17,067 #367
2001 modern 16,551 #368
2002 modern 16,921 #367
2003 modern 16,563 #366
2004 modern 16,728 #364
2005 modern 16,636 #357
2006 modern 16,693 #354
2007 modern 16,888 #351
2008 modern 17,231 #346
2009 modern 17,549 #350
2010 modern 17,849 #351
2011 modern 17,513 #352
2012 modern 17,245 #350
2013 modern 17,591 #352
2014 modern 17,776 #349
2015 modern 17,737 #348
2016 modern 17,820 #340

Geography

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Where Johnstones are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Annan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Langholm and Eskdale, Annan East, Lockerbie, New Cumnock and Annan West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Annan Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Langholm and Eskdale Dumfries and Galloway
2 Annan East Dumfries and Galloway
3 Lockerbie Dumfries and Galloway
4 New Cumnock East Ayrshire
5 Annan West Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Johnstone

These lists show first names that appear often with the Johnstone surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Johnstone

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Johnstone, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Johnstone surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Johnstone household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Johnstone is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Johnstone is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Johnstone falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Johnstone is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Johnstone, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Johnstone

The surname Johnstone has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "Johan" and "tun," meaning "John's town" or "John's settlement." The name was initially associated with individuals residing in the town of Johnstone, located in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

The earliest recorded instances of the Johnstone surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles and landowners swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is that of Gilbert de Jonestone, a landowner from Dumfriesshire.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the Johnstone family played a significant role in Scottish history. In the 14th century, Sir John Johnstone was a prominent figure who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. His descendants, the Johnstones of Annandale, became one of the most influential families in the region.

The Johnstone surname has also been recorded in various historical documents, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland (1264-1600) and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (1306-1688). These records provide insights into the family's land holdings, transactions, and notable individuals.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Johnstone surname was Sir Adam Johnstone, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Annandale. Another notable figure was John Johnstone (1570-1611), a Scottish mathematician and traveler who explored parts of Europe and published works on navigation and cartography.

In the 16th century, the Johnstones were embroiled in a long-standing feud with the Maxwell family, known as the "Johnstone-Maxwell Feud." This fierce rivalry between the two powerful clans lasted for several decades and was marked by numerous battles and skirmishes.

During the 17th century, James Johnstone (1616-1681) was a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Clerk Register and Lord Advocate of Scotland. He played a significant role in the Edinburgh Convention of Estates in 1678.

Other notable individuals with the Johnstone surname include Samuel Johnstone (1733-1816), a British colonial administrator and the first president of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and Edward Johnstone (1757-1851), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Johnstone families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Johnstone surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 2,084 Johnstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.88x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 2,084 4.88x
Dumfriesshire 1,331 45.63x
Midlothian 931 5.26x
Lancashire 703 0.45x
Cumberland 588 5.17x
Ayrshire 563 5.70x
Renfrewshire 562 5.49x
Middlesex 534 0.40x
Kirkcudbrightshire 453 23.70x
Aberdeenshire 376 3.07x
Angus 369 3.02x
Yorkshire 330 0.25x
Fife 300 3.84x
Northumberland 282 1.44x
Stirlingshire 271 5.56x
Inverness-shire 262 6.64x
Roxburghshire 249 10.41x
Durham 218 0.55x
Surrey 189 0.29x
Selkirkshire 179 14.98x
Argyllshire 158 4.30x
Cheshire 153 0.52x
Wigtownshire 148 8.44x
Kent 125 0.28x
Dunbartonshire 122 3.44x
Perthshire 120 2.02x
West Lothian 116 5.83x
Hampshire 115 0.42x
Staffordshire 110 0.25x
Sussex 100 0.45x
Clackmannanshire 90 8.25x
Warwickshire 82 0.25x
Orkney 79 5.44x
Devon 75 0.27x
Gloucestershire 63 0.24x
Banffshire 61 2.23x
Essex 57 0.22x
Peeblesshire 55 8.86x
Nottinghamshire 53 0.30x
East Lothian 51 2.92x
Berwickshire 49 3.06x
Ross-shire 48 1.32x
Shetland 47 3.49x
Somerset 45 0.21x
Glamorgan 42 0.18x
Kincardineshire 39 2.43x
Shropshire 36 0.32x
Westmorland 35 1.21x
Buteshire 33 4.12x
Morayshire 32 1.56x
Worcestershire 32 0.19x
Monmouthshire 30 0.31x
Berkshire 29 0.29x
Lincolnshire 29 0.14x
Suffolk 23 0.14x
Hertfordshire 21 0.23x
Derbyshire 19 0.09x
Royal Navy 19 1.21x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.21x
Dorset 17 0.20x
Wiltshire 17 0.15x
Caithness 15 0.83x
Bedfordshire 14 0.20x
Denbighshire 14 0.28x
Pembrokeshire 14 0.33x
Norfolk 13 0.06x
Leicestershire 12 0.08x
Oxfordshire 11 0.13x
Cornwall 10 0.07x
Kinross-shire 9 2.70x
Sutherland 8 0.79x
Herefordshire 7 0.13x
Nairnshire 7 1.74x
Channel Islands 6 0.15x
Flintshire 6 0.17x
Brecknockshire 4 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.15x
Isle of Man 4 0.16x
Northamptonshire 4 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 479 Johnstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.43x.

Place Total Index
Barony 479 4.43x
Govan 477 4.52x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 443 6.22x
Glasgow 401 5.29x
Annan 183 73.04x
Dundee 134 2.93x
Moffat 123 92.40x
Kilmarnock 117 9.95x
West Greenock 106 5.77x
Old Monkland 105 6.20x
Abbey 103 6.60x
Cambusnethan 97 10.23x
Paisley High Church 96 11.78x
Selkirk 96 28.52x
Langholm 94 44.84x
Liverpool 89 0.94x
Lochmaben 89 69.63x
Urr 88 35.39x
South Leith 80 4.02x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 78 3.41x
Hawick 78 14.57x
Aberdeen Old Machar 75 2.94x
Dryfesdale 73 54.31x
South Uist 72 26.17x
Liff Benvie 68 3.66x
Hamilton 66 5.54x
Slamannan 65 24.37x
Inverness 64 6.45x
Tillicoultry 59 24.32x
Troqueer 59 23.53x
Kirkpatrick Juxta 58 121.64x
Auckinleck 57 18.63x
Islington London 56 0.44x
New Monkland 55 4.36x
East Greenock 50 5.17x
Gretna 49 89.30x
Hoddam 49 69.72x
Kensington London 49 0.67x
Dumfries 47 16.33x
Middlebie 47 53.71x
Stirling 46 7.49x
Tweedmouth 46 18.78x
West Derby 46 1.00x
Dunfermline 45 3.74x
Galashiels 45 10.19x
Johnstone 44 96.87x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 44 66.05x
Leeds 44 0.60x
Carluke 43 11.09x
Birkenhead 42 1.81x
Castleton 42 40.88x
Bothwell 40 3.45x
Petty 40 57.80x
Hulme 39 1.19x
Inch 39 22.82x
Kelton 39 24.84x
Muirkirk 39 16.81x
Whitburn 39 13.58x
Brighton 38 0.85x
Cambuslang 38 8.83x
Falkirk 38 3.33x
Gateshead 38 1.29x
Hutton 37 100.57x
Paddington London 37 0.76x
Ruthwell 37 94.20x
Tinwald 37 95.07x
Everton 36 0.72x
Cadder 35 11.10x
Canonbie 35 28.24x
Dalziel 35 7.62x
Paisley Middle Church 35 5.87x
Birsay Harray 34 32.24x
Kirkmichael 34 88.20x
Beith 33 11.19x
Cupar 33 9.71x
Edinburgh Canongate 33 7.33x
Monifieth 33 7.64x
St Cuthbert W O 33 5.96x
Kirkpatrick Durham 32 53.80x
North Leith 32 3.91x
Campbeltown 31 6.99x
Inveresk 31 6.47x
Westerkirk 31 142.27x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Johnstone surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 307
Elizabeth 183
Jane 144
Sarah 115
Margaret 103
Ann 67
Annie 58
Isabella 52
Ellen 47
Agnes 43
Eliza 41
Emily 40
Hannah 40
Alice 36
Catherine 35
Emma 32
Jessie 28
Martha 26
Janet 25
Edith 23
Charlotte 22
Frances 21
Maria 21
Helen 20
Caroline 17
Louisa 17
Ada 16
Anne 16
Fanny 16
Florence 16
Susan 15
Clara 11
Harriet 11
Lucy 11
Elizth. 10
Esther 10
Ethel 10
Kate 9
Laura 9
Rebecca 9
Amelia 8
Dorothy 8
Eleanor 8
Maggie 8
Matilda 8
Minnie 8
Rose 8
Gertrude 7
Henrietta 7
Margt. 7

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Johnstone surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 315
William 265
James 203
Thomas 149
Robert 123
George 103
Henry 65
Charles 63
Joseph 62
David 42
Edward 38
Alexander 34
Arthur 34
Richard 28
Alfred 27
Andrew 27
Walter 25
Wm. 22
Francis 21
Frederick 19
Samuel 17
Frank 15
Peter 14
Herbert 13
Albert 12
Harry 11
Thos. 9
Christopher 8
Percy 8
Ernest 7
Hugh 7
Isaac 7
Adam 6
Alexr. 6
Archibald 6
Edwin 6
Fredrick 6
Daniel 5
Fred 5
Philip 5
Robt. 5
Tom 5
Augustus 4
Douglas 4
Cecil 3
Edwd. 3
Geo. 3
Jonathan 3
Patrick 3
Simon 3

FAQ

Johnstone surname: questions and answers

How common was the Johnstone surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13,626 people were recorded with the Johnstone surname. That placed it at #298 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Johnstone surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,820 in 2016. That gives Johnstone a modern rank of #340.

What does the Johnstone surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a settlement of John's people.

What does the Johnstone map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Johnstone bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.