Explore the Family Name Houston
The meaning of Houston
1. Scottish: habitational name from the barony of Houston (Renfrewshire), from the genitive case of the personal name Hugh + Middle English, Older Scots ton ‘town, village, settlement’ (Old English tūn ‘enclosure, settlement’). The landlord in question was a certain Hugo de Paduinan, who held the place c.1160. The Scottish surname is also common in Ulster. 2. Irish: variant of McCutcheon from Mac Uisdein or Mac Uistein. History: In 1836 the newly founded city of Houston, TX, was named in honor of Sam Houston (1793–1863), soldier and statesman. As commander in chief of the Texan army he achieved Texas independence from Mexico by routing the army of the Mexican general Santa Anna. His ancestors were Ulster Scots who had emigrated to Philadelphia, PA, in the 18th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Houston in the United States?
The surname Houston, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, was ranked as the 563rd most popular in 2000 and dropped slightly to 592nd in 2010, showing a decrease of 5.15 percent in its rank. The number of people with the Houston surname, however, rose from 54,026 in 2000 to 56,900 in 2010, indicating an increase of 5.32 percent. Despite this growth, the proportion of people named Houston per 100,000 decreased by 3.69 percent from 20.03 in 2000 to 19.29 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #563 | #592 | -5.15% |
| Count | 54,026 | 56,900 | 5.32% |
| Proportion per 100k | 20.03 | 19.29 | -3.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Houston
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diverse spread among those bearing the Houston surname. In 2000, individuals identifying as White made up the majority at 54.63 percent, which decreased to 52.07 percent by 2010. Those identifying as Black comprised the second largest group at 40.92 percent in 2000, increasing slightly to 41.49 percent in 2010. The percentage of Houstons identifying as Hispanic showed the most notable growth, from 1.50 percent in 2000 to 2.51 percent in 2010, a change of 67.33 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw increases, while those identifying with two or more races saw the second largest growth rate at 42.64 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 54.63% | 52.07% | -4.69% |
| Black | 40.92% | 41.49% | 1.39% |
| Two or More Races | 1.97% | 2.81% | 42.64% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 2.51% | 67.33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.56% | 0.63% | 12.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.5% | 19.05% |
Houston ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Houston is British & Irish, which comprises 53.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.9%) and Nigerian (5.7%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.2% |
| French & German | 18.9% |
| Nigerian | 5.7% |
| Other | 22.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Houston
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Houston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 79.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 79.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 79.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 79.20% |
What Houston haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Houston is R-FGC11293, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC11293 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Huston, Marshall, Pratt, Archibald, Clifford, Patton, Waters, Kyle, Turner, Robinson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Houston surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Houston have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Houston" Surname 37.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Houston" Surname 28.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Houston" Surname 26.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Houston" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Houston?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Houston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition