Etymology
- The habitational surname Johnstone / Johnston is in most cases derived from the name of Johnstone located 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 habitational surnames Johnstone / Johnston.
- Johnstone / Johnston in other cases is a variant of the surname Johnson.
Read more about this topic: Johnstone (surname)
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
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“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
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