Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Scottish Scottish (and northern English) habitational name from Johnstone, 'John's town', carried to Ulster by 17th-century settlers; occasionally an English form of the Irish Mac Seáin.[1][2][3][4]
The name is built on the personal name John, usually explained as “the surname means 'John's town', from the name John and Middle English toun, a settlement”. Johnston is a place-name surname rather than a patronymic: it names a farm or settlement once held by a man called John. Wiktionary places the original Johnstone in Dumfriesshire.[1][2]
Pronunciation
Johnston: JON-stun
Place
Where the Johnstons lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Fermanagh
175 per 10,000
1,134 Johnstons · 5.65× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Fermanagh
179 per 10,000
1,084 Johnstons · 5.75× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 4,005 | 4,161 | — | 88 | 87 | — |
| Armagh | 749 | 738 | — | 60 | 62 | — |
| Carlow | 23 | 18 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Cavan | 526 | 485 | 361 | 54 | 53 | 44 |
| Clare | 26 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cork | 141 | 93 | 59 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Donegal | 369 | 378 | 281 | 21 | 22 | 18 |
| Down | 2,386 | 2,510 | — | 82 | 82 | — |
| Dublin | 813 | 845 | 841 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
| Fermanagh | 1,134 | 1,084 | — | 175 | 179 | — |
| Galway | 83 | 74 | 41 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Kerry | 79 | 46 | 46 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Kildare | 63 | 99 | 58 | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| Kilkenny | 21 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Laois | 69 | 69 | 56 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| Leitrim | 213 | 194 | 149 | 31 | 31 | 26 |
| Limerick | 40 | 40 | 43 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Londonderry | 796 | 723 | — | 55 | 52 | — |
| Longford | 23 | 27 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Louth | 133 | 115 | 137 | 20 | 18 | 22 |
| Mayo | 130 | 125 | 107 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Meath | 77 | 78 | 71 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
| Monaghan | 248 | 249 | 204 | 33 | 35 | 31 |
| Offaly | 90 | 87 | 48 | 15 | 15 | 9 |
| Roscommon | 108 | 103 | 78 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Sligo | 150 | 133 | 95 | 19 | 17 | 13 |
| Tipperary | 58 | 43 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Tyrone | 913 | 855 | — | 61 | 60 | — |
| Waterford | 23 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Westmeath | 79 | 76 | 60 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| Wexford | 62 | 65 | 50 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Wicklow | 91 | 84 | 53 | 15 | 14 | 9 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Johnstons made up the largest share of the population. In Tirmacspird, Co. Fermanagh, about one resident in 7 was a Johnston.
| DED | County | Johnstons | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tirmacspird | Fermanagh | 85 | 14.7% |
| Grousehall | Donegal | 49 | 10.2% |
| Coolnamarrow | Fermanagh | 68 | 10.0% |
| Lack | Fermanagh | 48 | 8.8% |
| Drumrush | Fermanagh | 37 | 8.5% |
| Goolyermer | Fermanagh | 32 | 8.0% |
| Bilberry | Cavan | 27 | 7.6% |
| Ballymyre | Armagh | 83 | 7.1% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Johnston lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Johnstone of Annandale
Annandale, in the west of the Scottish Marches · Dumfriesshire
The chiefly family of the name, settled in Annandale for over six centuries with their historic seat at Lochwood Tower, south of Moffat. They rose to be Lords Johnstone of Lochwood, Earls of Hartfell and Annandale, and in 1701 Marquesses of Annandale. Clan Johnstone was a Border reiver family.[5][6]
Johnston of Caskieben
Caskieben · Aberdeenshire
Described by Wikipedia as the senior cadet branch. Sir George Johnstone of Caskieben was made a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1626, and Burke records the arms of the Johnstons of Johnston and Caskieben in Aberdeenshire under that date.[5][7]
Mac Seagháin (MacShane) of Tyrone
Tír Eoghain · Tyrone
A Gaelic family, a branch of the O'Neills, whose name Woulfe says was sometimes rendered Johnson, Johnston or Johnstone in English. This accounts for a minority of Irish families of the name with no Scottish ancestry.[4]
The name over time
History
John's town
Johnston began as a place-name: a settlement, or toun, belonging to a man called John. Wiktionary locates the original in Dumfriesshire, and Wikipedia notes that Johnstone, the other common spelling, can come from several Scottish places of the name. The earliest form recorded for the Annandale family is Jonistune. According to Wikipedia, Gilbert de Jonistune, son of a man named Jon, appears in records after 1194, and a knight of Dumfries listed on the Ragman Rolls of 1296 swore fealty to Edward I of England.[2][8][5]
A Border family
For centuries the Johnstones held land in Annandale in the western Scottish Marches. In 1388 Sir John Johnston was made Warden of the Western Marches, and Adam Johnstone, first laird, fought at the Battle of Sark in 1448. Wikipedia counts the clan among the Border reivers, and they appear on the 1587 roll of the Scottish West March. Their long feud with the Maxwells came to a head at Dryfe Sands near Lockerbie in December 1593, a decisive Johnstone victory in which Lord Maxwell was killed.[5][9][10]
Earls and marquesses
The feud did not end at Dryfe Sands: in 1608 Lord Maxwell killed the Johnstone chief at a meeting meant to make peace, and was later hanged for it. The family's fortunes then rose. Charles I created James Johnstone Lord Johnstone of Lochwood in 1633 and Earl of Hartfell in 1643, and William Johnstone became Marquess of Annandale in 1701. The titles fell dormant in 1792. Burke, writing in 1884, noted several rival claimants; the Lord Lyon recognised Major Percy Johnstone in 1982, and a House of Lords ruling of 1985 went in favour of his son Patrick.[5][7]
Across to Ulster
After James VI of Scotland became king of England in 1603 the Border was pacified, and Borderers were among the settlers of the Plantation of Ulster. Wikipedia notes that part of the aim was to move Border families to Ireland, particularly to Co. Fermanagh, both to quiet the Border and to secure Ulster. Wikipedia adds that reiver descendants are found throughout Ulster, where they became part of the Ulster Scots. Johnston, a Border name, is today among the most frequent surnames in Fermanagh, the very county the planners had singled out for Borderers.[3][10][11]
Johnstons in Irish records
Burke's General Armory records several Irish Johnston families: at Holly Park in Co. Down; in Armagh and Dublin, descended from a William Johnston who served at the siege of Londonderry in 1689; and at Little Mount in Co. Fermanagh. Irish Johnstons were prominent in public life. Sir Richard Johnston, created a baronet of Gilford in 1772, sat in the Irish House of Commons, and the Armagh-born architect Francis Johnston designed the General Post Office in Dublin.[7][12][13]
Johnston, Johnstone, Johnson and MacShane
The spellings Johnston and Johnstone are the same name, and Wikipedia treats Johnstone as a variant of Johnston. Johnson, 'son of John', is a different, patronymic name, though Wiktionary notes that Johnston can also be an English variant of it. In Ireland a further complication is Woulfe's note that Johnston and Johnstone were occasionally used for the Gaelic Mac Seagháin, MacShane, a branch of the O'Neills of Tyrone. A Johnston family's religion, county and earliest records are the best guide to its origin.[8][2][4]
Places linked to the name
- Annandale, Co. Dumfriesshire — The valley of the River Annan, home of the Johnstones for over six centuries.[5]
- Lochwood Tower, Co. Dumfriesshire — Ruined tower house south of Moffat, the historic seat of the Johnstone chiefs.[6][5]
- Dryfe Sands, Co. Dumfriesshire — Near Lockerbie, scene of the Johnstones' victory over the Maxwells in 1593.[9]
- County Fermanagh, Co. Fermanagh — The Ulster county where Border families, the Johnstons among them, were settled in the 17th century.[3][11]
- Gilford, Co. Down — Village on the River Bann that gave its name to the Johnston baronetcy of 1772.[12]
Everyday lives
The Johnstons in the census
Who the Johnstons were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Johnstons All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Johnston bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
234 Johnstons spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 2,166 |
| Farmer's son | 762 |
| Farmer's daughter | 458 |
| General labourer | 395 |
| Seamstress | 338 |
| House keeper | 316 |
| Farm servant | 267 |
| Agricultural labourer | 261 |
| Labourer | 249 |
| Farm labourer | 190 |
Born outside Ireland
4.4% of Johnstons in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 361 |
| Scotland | 176 |
| United States | 29 |
| India | 11 |
| Canada | 4 |
| Wales | 3 |
Median age: 24 in 1901, 26 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Johnstons
Men and boys
- James1,429
- John1,415
- William1,414
- Robert961
- Thomas863
- Samuel501
- George424
- Joseph408
- David373
- Patrick257
Women and girls
- Mary1,201
- Elizabeth678
- Sarah665
- Margaret656
- Jane625
- Annie569
- Maggie391
- Lizzie382
- Ellen352
- Agnes298
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, William, James, Thomas, Robert; Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret, Annie, Bridget.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston | 13,021 | 13,003 | 2,746 | Search |
| Johnstone | 700 | 642 | 226 | Search |
Related forms
- Johnstone — The same name; the spelling usual for the Scottish chiefs.[8][5]
- Johnson — Usually a separate patronymic name, but sometimes interchanged with Johnston, and used for Mac Seagháin in Ireland.[2][4]
- MacShane — The usual English form of Mac Seagháin, for which Johnston was an occasional substitute.[4]
Diaspora
The Johnstons abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Johnston | 131,373 | 225th |
| Johnstone | 7,313 | 4825th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Johnston coat of arms?
Arms were granted to particular families, so there is no single Johnston crest. Burke records quartered arms for the Johnstones of Annandale, Earls of Hartfell and Marquesses of Annandale, whose Johnstone quarters show a black saltire on silver with a red chief bearing three gold cushions, a winged spur as crest, and the motto 'Nunquam non paratus', 'never unprepared'. Burke shows Irish Johnstons of Holly Park, Co. Down, and of Armagh using versions of these arms and the same motto.[7][5]
Websites selling a single “Johnston family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Johnston
- Sir Richard Johnston, 1st Baronet (1743–1795) Anglo-Irish politician in the Irish House of Commons, created a baronet of Gilford in 1772.
- Francis Johnston (1760–1829) Armagh-born architect of the General Post Office on O'Connell Street, Dublin.
- Albert Sidney Johnston (1803–1862) General who served in the Texas, United States and Confederate armies.
- Joseph E. Johnston (1807–1891) US Army officer and leading Confederate general of the American Civil War.
- William Johnston (1829–1902) Orangeman and independent-minded unionist MP for Belfast with a working-class following.
- Ethna Carbery (Anna Johnston) (1864–1902) Belfast-based poet and journalist, author of the ballad 'Roddy McCorley'.
- Mary Johnston (1870–1936) Best-selling Virginian novelist and campaigner for women's suffrage.
- Sir Reginald Johnston (1874–1938) Scottish colonial official who tutored Puyi, the last emperor of China.
- Denis Johnston (1901–1984) Dublin playwright, critic and wartime correspondent.
- Roy Johnston (1929–2019) Physicist and Marxist republican who argued for a new IRA strategy in the 1960s.
- Jennifer Johnston (1930–2025) Novelist whose The Old Jest won the Whitbread Book Award in 1979.
- Trent Johnston (born 1974) Australian-born cricketer who captained Ireland and later coached.
Questions
Questions about the Johnston name
Is Johnston an Irish surname?
It is a common name in Ireland, especially Ulster, but in origin it is Scottish. Johnston means 'John's town' and comes from the Scottish Borders, and Border families were settled in Ulster, notably Fermanagh, during the 17th-century Plantation, where the name is now very common. Woulfe notes that some Irish MacShanes also used it.[1][3][11][4]
Is Johnston Scottish or Irish?
Scottish in origin. The Johnstones of Annandale in Dumfriesshire were a powerful Border family, and the name came to Ireland mainly with Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster. It is now one of the most frequent surnames in Co. Fermanagh.[5][3][11]
Are Johnston and Johnstone the same name?
Yes. Both spell the same place-name surname, 'John's town', and Wikipedia treats Johnstone as a variant of Johnston. The Scottish chiefs usually wrote Johnstone, though both spellings appear in Burke's records of the family. Johnson, 'son of John', is normally a different name, though the two are sometimes confused.[8][1][2][7]
What is Johnston in Irish?
There is no single native form, because the name is Scottish. Woulfe lists Johnston and Johnstone among the English forms sometimes used for Mac Seagháin (modern Mac Seáin), 'son of John', usually anglicised MacShane. Wikipedia gives Mac Iain and Mac Eoin as Gaelic forms associated with Clan Johnstone.[4][5]
What is the Johnston clan motto?
The motto of the Johnstone chiefs is 'Nunquam non paratus', 'never unprepared'. Burke records it with the arms of the Earls of Hartfell and Marquesses of Annandale, and with the arms of several Irish Johnston families. Like the arms, it belonged to those families rather than to everyone named Johnston.[5][7]
Is there a Johnston family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for everyone named Johnston. Burke records the Annandale arms as a black saltire on silver with a red chief bearing three gold cushions, with a winged spur as crest. Burke shows Irish Johnstons of Holly Park, Co. Down, using the same design and an Armagh family using a variant with added charges, each recorded for a particular family.[7]
Where in Ireland is the Johnston surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Johnstons lived in Antrim (4,161), Down (2,510), Fermanagh (1,084). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Fermanagh (179 per 10,000), Antrim (87 per 10,000), Down (82 per 10,000).
How common was the Johnston surname in Ireland?
13,645 people were recorded as Johnston or Johnstone in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 35th most common surname. That is roughly 0.3% of the population, or 1 person in 322.
Looking for a Johnston ancestor?
Search every Johnston household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Wikipedia, Johnston (surname) (2026)
- Wiktionary, Johnston
- Wikipedia, Plantation of Ulster (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Seagháin, Mac Seáin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Clan Johnstone (2026)
- Wikipedia, Lochwood Tower (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Johnstone (Johnstone, co. Dumfries, Earl of Hartfell and Marquess of Annandale)', 'Johnston (Johnston and Caskieben)', 'Johnston (Holly Park, co. Down)' and the Armagh, Dublin and Fermanagh Johnston entries.
- Wikipedia, Johnstone (surname) (2026)
- Wikipedia, Battle of Dryfe Sands (2026)
- Wikipedia, Border reivers (2026)
- Wikipedia, County Fermanagh (2026). Section listing the county's most common surnames.
- Wikipedia, Sir Richard Johnston, 1st Baronet (2026)
- Wikipedia, Francis Johnston (architect) (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.