Originally a Scottish surname,Houston began along the west coast of Scotland and on the Hebrides Islands. The Scottish form began as ‘hugh’. In the Old English form the name means the land or residence of a person named Hugh. Spelling variations for Houston include Houstoun, MacHouston, McCuiston, Huston, Houstowne, Houstone, Hughstoun, Hughstowne and Huestowne. In Scotland the county of Renfrewshire has many Houston families. The northern end of England with Lancashire, Durham, Cumberland and Yorkshire counties have the most individuals with the Houston surname. In the United States the Houston name is in Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Alabama primarily. Famous: Sam Houston (the 19th century soldier and statesman of Texas), Whitney Houston (pop singer and actress), John M. Houston (filmmaker and actor), Tyler Houston (professional baseball player) and John Houston (writer and historian from New Zealand).