About
the Johnstone Clan
Johnstons.org |
I
have a lot of sympathy with the Smiths, Brown, Thompsons
and people of that ilk. Being the owner of one what is similar to
one of England and Wales's top ten surnames, you might think
I should be expect for JOHNSTON to be mis-spellt as JOHNSON.
But why? It doesn't take the brains of an archbishop to ask "with
or without a T?" But what really confuses me is when people
ask "with or without an E?" I have very seldom met a JOHNSTONE.
I know they exist, for the NHS Central Register for England
and Wales records there being some 12 444 of them. |
 |
| JOHNSTON
is the most common surname in County Fermanagh, Northern
Ireland, which is also the ancestral home of my family
- well, since the 1700s anyway. I understand that part
the clan, from Annandale in Dumfrieshire and Galloway,
was politely asked to go and settle Fermanagh, or be hanged
for cattle thieving. |
Frequency
of Surnames of the NHS Central Register of England and Wales
JOHNSON 202
521 (10th 0.34%)
JOHNSTON 32 480 (214th 0.05%)
JOHNSTONE 12 444 (628th) |
JOHNSON
is quintessentially English, being the tenth most common
surname. And who wrote that dictionary anyway? And of course,
it is very popular in the former Colonies, or should I say,
the United States! JOHNSTON, on the other hand, is a much
more Scots-Irish surname, as witnessed by its popularity
north of the border and across the water. |
