Johnston ( surname ) - wikipedia Johnston ( surname ) For other uses, see Johnston ( disambiguation ). Johnston Language ( s ) English Origin Meaning 1. `` John 's town '' 2. `` St John 's town '' Other names Variant ( s ) Johnstone Johnston is in most cases a habitational surname derived from several places in Scotland. Historically the surname has been most common throughout Scotland and Ireland. Contents 1 Etymology 2 People with the surname Johnston 3 See also 4 References Etymology The habitational surname originates in most cases from the place so called in Annandale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. This surname is derived from the genitive case of the given name John and tone or toun ( `` settlement '' in Middle English ; tun in Old English ), literally meaning `` John 's town ''. There are several similar place names in Scotland, including the city of Perth, which was once known as St. John 's Toun. This and other similarly named locations may also be sources for the surname Johnston. Johnston is commonly traced back to Ireland, however it is believed the name and people migrated from Scotland. People with the surname Johnston Alan Johnston ( born 1962 ), BBC correspondent Albert Johnston ( rugby league ) ( 1891 -- 1961 ), Australian rugby league footballer Albert Sidney Johnston ( 1803 -- 1862 ), Texian Brigadier General, American Brevet Brigadier General, and Confederate ( full ) General. He was killed at the battle of Shiloh ( American Civil War ). Andrew Johnston ( Australian actor ) Andrew Galbraith Johnston ( died 1886 ), brewer of Oakbank, South Australia Arthur Johnston ( poet ) ( 1587 -- 1641 ), Scottish physician and poet Arthur Johnston ( fl. 1877 ), British bell maker with Gillett & Johnston Arthur Johnston ( composer ) ( 1898 -- 1954 ), American composer and songwriter Arthur Lawson Johnston, 3rd Baron Luke ( born 1933 ), British peer Arthur Johnston ( politician ) ( born 1947 ), Canadian politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Ben Johnston ( disambiguation ) Bertie Johnston aka Edward Johnston ( politician ) Bill Johnston ( disambiguation ) Brian Johnston, broadcaster and cricket commentator Brian Johnston ( rugby league ), Australian former rugby league player and administrator Charles Clement Johnston, U.S. Representative from Virginia Charles John Johnston, New Zealand politician and mayor Christina Johnston ( born 1987 ), British operatic soprano Clyde M. Johnston, American politician from Wisconsin Chris Johnston ( ice hockey ) ( born 1974 ), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player Daniel Johnston, musician Daryl Johnston ( born 1966 ), American football fullback, nicknamed `` Moose '' David Johnston ( disambiguation ) Denis Johnston ( 1901 -- 1984 ), Irish playwright Dick Johnston ( 1863 -- 1984 ), American baseball player Donald James Johnston, former Canadian politician and the Secretary General of the OECD Edward Johnston, British teacher of calligraphy Edward Johnston ( artist ), American artist and designer Elmer E. Johnston ( 1898 -- 1985 ), American politician Fergus Johnston ( born 1959 ), Irish composer Francis Earl Johnston, Commander of 1st NZ Infantry Brigade, World War 1 General Washington Johnston ( 1776 -- 1833 ), an American lawyer and politician George Johnston ( burgess ) ( 1700 -- 1766 ), American lawyer and politician George Johnston ( British Marines officer ) ( 1764 -- 1823 ), leader of the Rum rebellion, briefly Lieutenant - Governor of New South Wales George Johnston ( novelist ), Australian journalist and novelist George Johnston ( politician ), Canadian politician George Johnston ( general ), Australian Major General in World War 1, member of the Fitzroy City Council from 1896 to 1900 George Johnston ( engineer ), designer of Scotland 's first motorcar and co-founder of Arrol - Johnston Car Company Ltd. George Johnston ( ice hockey ), former National Hockey League player George Johnston ( footballer ), former Scottish footballer for Cardiff City, Arsenal, Fulham and others George Benson Johnston ( 1913 -- 2004 ), Canadian poet. George Doherty Johnston ( 1832 -- 1910 ), American general and politician Gerald MacIntosh Johnston, a Canadian Broadway stage actor Greg Johnston ( rower ) ( born 1959 ), former New Zealand rover Harold I. Johnston, American Medal of Honor recipient Harry Johnston, British explorer and administrator Harry Johnston ( footballer, born 1919 ), English international footballer Harry Johnston ( surveyor ), Surveyor - General of Western Australia Hunter Johnston ( born 1980 ), American professional wrestler Ivan Murray Johnston ( 1898 -- 1960 ), American botanist James Johnston ( disambiguation ) Jenifer Johnston, Scottish journalist Jennifer Johnston ( born 1930 ), Irish novelist Jerry Johnston ( born 1959 ), American clergyman John S. Johnston ( c. 1839 -- 1899 ), American maritime photographer John W. Johnston ( 1818 -- 1889 ), American lawyer and politician Joseph E. Johnston, U.S. Brigadier General, later a Confederate ( full ) General. Julie Johnston ( born 1992 ), American soccer player Ken Johnston ( journalist ), Deputy Head of Media Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters ( United Kingdom ) Kristen Johnston, American actress Larry Johnston, NHL ice hockey player Levi Johnston, American male model and entertainer Luke Johnston ( born 1993 ), Scottish footballer Lynn Johnston, Canadian cartoonist Mary Johnston, American novelist and women 's rights advocate Matt Johnston, American television and film producer ( Discovery Channel, Feel Rich, Turner Broadcasting Systems ) Max Johnston, multi-instrumentalist ( Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, The Gourds ) Michael Johnston ( disambiguation ), several people Naazmi Johnston, Olympic Athlete Ollie Johnston, American pioneer of motion picture animation Patrick Johnston ( medieval courtier ), producer of plays and probable lost fifteenth century Scottish poet Reginald Johnston, Scottish teacher of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China Richard F. Johnston, American ornithologist, academic and author Rita Johnston, Canadian politician Robbie Johnston, New Zealand long - distance runner Rod Johnston ( born 1974 ), Scottish radio presenter Ron Johnston, New Zealand speedway rider Ron J. Johnston, British geographer Samuel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina and Continental Congress delegate Sam Johnston ( wrestler ), American professional wrestler Sex W. Johnston, pseudonym of Irish poet John W. Sexton Stiven De Johnston, 14th Century Founder of the Scottish Hilton Clan Sue Johnston, English actress Suzanne Johnston ( born 1958 ), Australian operatic mezzo - soprano Tarik `` Rvssian '' Johnston, Jamaican music producer Tom Jack Johnston, an Australian DJ and music producer Tom Johnston ( disambiguation ) Tommy Johnston, Scottish footballer Trent Johnston ( born 1974 ), Irish cricketer Willie Johnston, Scottish footballer Zoë Johnston, British singer - songwriter Tallulah `` Irene '' Johnston, Gidgegannup Native white girl, alright at cooking See also Clan Johnstone, a Scottish clan References Jump up ^ Johnston Name Meaning and History Jump up ^ https://www.houseofnames.com/johnston-family-crest. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Surname list This page lists people with the surname Johnston. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person 's given name ( s ) to the link. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnston_(surname)&oldid=841284873 '' Categories : Surnames English - language surnames Scottish surnames Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Articles with short description All set index articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bân - lâm - gú Deutsch Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 14 May 2018, at 23 : 00. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the last name johnston come from
Answer: Annandale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland